F1 boss on new teams: 'Willing to talk to credible candidates'

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali seems a little more open to the entry of an 11th team into Formula 1. Speaking to Sky Sports Domenicali says he is willing to explore the addition of a new team if a credible candidate is ready. It is a striking comment, as Domenicali has been very critical of the possibility of adding new teams in the past.

It has now been almost a year since the first rumours surfaced that Andretti Autosport was planning to come to Formula 1. Initially, it looked like it would team up with Sauber but those negotiations eventually collapsed. The plan then became to join as a completely new team and thus become the 11th team on the grid. However, that proved to be no easy task just yet.

Andretti Autosport is owned by Michael Andretti, son of former Formula 1 champion Mario Andretti. It is already active in several racing classes, including Formula E and IndyCar, and has already won four championships in both IndyCar and IndyCar light. A decent resumé to enter Formula 1. However, it was opposed by several team bosses, including Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. Formula 1 boss Domenicali also seemed decidedly reluctant to accept Andretti's entry: he said in the past that it would add nothing at all to the sport.

'It has to be a credible candidate'

Now Domenicali seems to have somewhat backtracked on that stance, although he does not necessarily want to voice his approval of Andretti just yet. " It is not a problem to have another team in the field to make the races more exciting," Domenicali said. "We are looking into that and if there is a credible candidate who wants to discuss a submission with us, we are open to talks. But we are in no hurry. The most important thing is that the newcomer upgrades the Formula 1 world championship - both financially and sportingly."

Should Andretti do manage to join in 2024, it will be the first time in eight years that a new team has been added to Formula 1. The last time was in 2016 when Haas joined the grid.