Is Formula 1 doing the right thing by admitting more teams?

The arrival of an eleventh team in Formula 1 is a major topic of conversation with Andretti Cadillac. Will it be good for F1 if there is an additional team or perhaps multiple teams? We asked the editors of the various editions of GPblog.

Simone Tommasi - GPblog Italy

As we have seen in recent years, Formula 1 with ten teams works well. The teams are the same now since 2017, if we exclude some changes in ownership, and they are solid companies whose future in F1 is not in doubt. The entry of new teams in the early 2010s proved disastrous in almost all cases and did not bring added value to Formula 1. At the same time, however, there is a risk of creating a kind of closed league, always with the same teams on the track, which in the long run can also have negative repercussions on F1's image. Therefore, if there were ready teams with adequate resources and a solid financial base, their entry into the sport would certainly be a good thing. Finally, adding a personal note to the reflection, I personally would appreciate more cars on the track, to see more fight in the back of the field and also to experience a little bit of the "thrill" of novelty of seeing new teams.

Nicole Mulder - GPblog Netherlands

F1 certainly doesn't need an eleventh team, but I would welcome it. An extra team means a more competitive field and more opportunities for the many young talents who miss out on the sport or end up on the reserve bench because there is no place for them. Besides, there is a maximum number of 26 cars on the grid, and given the high demands for new teams, it won't be too crowded any time soon. Besides, it wouldn't hurt the sport to add a non-European constructor, as F1 wants to appeal to a global market.

Ida Gorecka - GPblog Poland

Running an F1 team is tremendously expensive, and making a decent profit is challenging but 20 cars just doesn’t really seem as exiting anymore. Imagine the F1 racing scene with 24-26 cars, now that’s something! It would be exhilarating to see some new teams on board. Not simply because of the quantity of talent lost annually due to a lack of seats, but also for the spectacle itself. Having more cars increases the complexity and unpredictability of the GP’s.

Rasmus Tønder Christíansen - GPblog Denmark

It would be interesting to have the addition of a new team for the 2023 grid.  There have been 10 teams on the grid since Manor racing team failed to find a new buyer in 2016. I think the addition of a new all American could be interesting for the sport, to keep up with the massive increase in popularity in the USA.

Jacobine van den Berg - GPblog Netherlands

If we dive deep into the regulations, adding new teams is certainly possible. Indeed, the rules state that there is a limit of 26 cars. But it nevertheless remains very complicated for new teams to join these days. Andretti has long been bogged down in the process of becoming a new team on the grid. The reasons: first, it costs a lot of money. Running an F1 team not only costs hundreds of millions of dollars a year, but an actual spot on the grid costs an extra $200 million. In Andretti's case, the majority of teams remain reluctant to give the green light for a spot on the grid because it also means getting a smaller share of the prize pool.

So far, only Alpine and McLaren have given their approval for entry. Understandable things from a financial perspective for the teams. Yet, in my view, there are many more benefits of opening doors to new teams: any future race teams can add value to the sport, this is also something team bosses Günther Steiner and Toto Wolff have indicated they consider important when considering. The entry of new teams also means more room for new talent that may have been angling for a permanent seat for a while, but has not been possible before due to the tightness of the 20 F1 seats. In addition, it is also good exposure for well-known car brands to generate more popularity again, especially now that the sport is growing around the world due to the Netflix series Drive to Survive.

Ruben Gómez - GPblog Spain

Yes, I think there could be more than 10 teams in Formula 1. As long as there are conditions. I think when there are more teams there can be more excitement, but there is a limit to everything. Also, it's important that they are competitive teams, that are not always at the bottom. Formula 1 is becoming more and more famous and I think that leads to more people being interested and wanting to create a team. It would be nice to have more than 10 teams in Formula 1, but the teams that are in Formula 1 should be competitive.

Andrea Bassini - GPblog Italy

If the goal of Liberty Media and Formula 1 is to increase the spectacle and competitiveness, adding teams is the worst choice you can make. The only sensible way to introduce new teams would be to also increase the points positions, perhaps from 10 to 12, so as to give the smaller teams a better chance of not finishing a season at zero. If this were not the case, we would end up in a situation where there would not be more competitiveness in the upper zones of the classification, but more abundance in the lower zones. And nobody is interested in seeing more than one team like Williams in the same championship. It would be good only for the memes.

Femke Notermans - GPblog Netherlands

If you had asked me a few years ago whether F1 needs more teams, I would probably have said no. However, with the new regulations of 2022, the budget cap and the engine regulations to be introduced in 2026, things are different. Now is the perfect time for other brands to make their F1 entry. Not only does it make for more competition on the track, even if it is at the back of the field against a Haas or Williams or at the front of the field with Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, it also frees up more seats for the many talents in motorsport. Certainly, a brand like Andretti, which now has F1 plans with Cadillac, can add a lot of value to F1 as an American team. Hopefully, the FIA will continue the process of welcoming more teams into the sport.

Vicente Soella - GPblog Brazil

I would like to see more teams entering Formula 1 in the coming years, as long as those same teams are able to bring something special to the class. It would be bad to see teams just filling the grid just for the sake of it, with no potential beyond. For example, Audi together with Sauber promises to be very competitive, just as Andretti's plans with Cadillac are also very ambitious - so we can expect to have more than two or three teams fighting for titles in the future, which would be huge for Formula 1. However, I would put a limit - a maximum of 12 teams would be more than enough.

Matt Gretton - GPblog United Kingdom (International)

I think Formula 1, the FIA and Liberty Media are a little bit scared of adding a new team only for them to disappear within a few years due to financial difficulties. It wouldn't be a good look to the outside world when so much has been achieved in the last three-five years. It's not an absolute top priority, but it would be advantageous if F1 could attract more teams. First of all, it opens up more room for the ridiculous amount of talent coming through F2 and being missed. It would strengthen F1's position as the pinnacle of motorsport. It would add to the spectacle and probably introduce more sponsors and investment. Overall, I would like to see it.

Daniel de Ruiter - GPblog Netherlands

I don't think Formula 1 necessarily needs an extra team. Especially in the midfield, Formula 1 has been very exciting in recent years; the teams are extremely matched. F1 could possibly benefit from an extra team at the forefront fighting for the top positions, but I don't expect an extra team to solve that problem immediately. The real benefit I do see in an eleventh team is more room for talented drivers on the highest stage of motorsport. Finally; that I don't necessarily think it's necessary to add an extra team to the grid doesn't take away from the fact that I do think it would be a lot of fun. For all F1 fans, an extra team and two extra drivers on the grid should be welcome entertainment, right?

Sergio Castellano - GPblog Spain

Of course we need more than 10 teams, but we cannot come back to the 80s, 90s and even 2010s era. More than 20 drivers are necessary in today's grid, except if these teams do not offer a solid economical and sporting project, with Virgin, Lotus and HRT's entries in 2010 being prime examples. Having at least two or three new teams would assure us more battling, new rivalries and more seats for those who deserve one but due to the lack of gaps on the teams it's not possible to have them.