Horner doubts new teams: 'Where are we going to put them?'

After Andretti-Cadillac, Formula Equal last week, a third team announced its intention to join Formula 1. LKY SUNZ has applied to the FIA. It is no secret that not all current teams are eager to admit newcomers. At the press conference ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Christian Horner of Red Bull Racing had mainly practical objections.

Most teams are not keen on an eleventh or perhaps twelfth entrant into Formula 1, mainly because F1's current revenue has to be shared with more parties. There is also a problem of a very different nature, Horner, Red Bull's team boss, told us.

No more room

"With the way that the sport has now developed, if you look at the pit lane, for example, here, or something like Monaco or Zandvoort, or some of the circuits that we're now racing at, where would we be able to accommodate an 11th team? I think that in itself, just operationally, where do we put the motor homes, where do we put the support, where do the trucks go? I just think it would be an incredibly difficult thing to be accommodated with the way that the sport has currently evolved as well,” Horner said.

Toto Wolff, sitting fraternally next to Horner, first of all indicated that the teams ultimately have no say in whether, and if so, which teams join. He did point out that it is very difficult to perform in Formula 1. "It has taken us many years to be where we are today. We went through very difficult times when Formula 1 was not the blockbuster it is today. Therefore, whoever comes into the sport, I think it would be good for all of us if they can really add something new to the show."

"If they can help us increase our audience, or if a lot of marketing dollars are spent similar to what we have done over the years. Red Bull and Mercedes are here, spending hundreds of millions. If that were the case, I think we should all be open-minded and say: how can we contribute to making it work?"