Team principals debate in Qatar: Are an 11th team a good fit for F1?

After Mario Andretti’s entry together with Cadillac was approved by FIA ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, four team representatives at Losail were asked what do they think about these developments. Frederic Vasseur (Ferrari), Andrea Stella (McLaren), James Vowles (Williams), and Peter Bayer (AlphaTauri) all discussed this question in Qatar.

Vasseur: 'Not a big fan'

Frederic Vasseur was clear about an 11th team. "It's not a secret. I'm not a big fan. When we opened the door to an 11th team in the Concorde Agreement last time, it was for a good reason. At that stage, Honda said already that they will leave F1 and Renault was on the edge. It means that we had only Mercedes and Ferrari confirmed for the future and we opened the door to an 11th team in case they could bring something substantial to F1. And I think this, at that stage, was mainly the engine," Vasseur began.

He continued: "We have to keep in mind that three or four years ago, we had almost half of the grid quite close to bankruptcy and we have to avoid being arrogant that F1 and life is a cycle. We don't know what could happen before 2030."

The Frenchman also stated that a new team have to be a valuable asset to the sport. "I think that we would put F1 in a tough situation for this, except if the new entry is bringing going to add value to the F1. And I don't have access to the dossier of Andretti, but I think the first question…What is the added value for F1? We already have an American team with Haas. We have an American driver on the grid, but the question for me is around this is what could be the added value?"

Vowles also against the 11th team

Similarly to Vasseur, James Vowles also said his team are against a new team. "Williams is against the addition of an 11th team and very strongly against. But I'll explain the reasons behind that and why. My responsibility is to 900 employees within my company. If you look at Companies House, you can go and look it up for Williams. We've submitted it now. You'll see that we're lossy. We're very lossy. In 2021 to 2022, you'll see the losses are in the tens of millions more."

"We believe in the direction of travel of the sport. In order to do that, the reason why is we actually have, I think, a sustainable entity for once. Teams are actually working more and more together. We have close racing as a result of things. But it should be known that this isn't just us that are not financially stable. I'd say probably half the grid aren't. I think the addition of a 11th team is a sensible thing, but only at the point where the 10th team on the grid is financially stable," Vowles underlined.

Vowles also believes adding another team is still possible: "I don't think it's impossible. What we're looking for is that pie to grow significantly enough that we're not losing money or losing elements, but gaining as a result of it. And there is an opportunity to do that. And the FIA did everything correctly."

Stella and Bayer are more neutral

Andrea Stella remained more neutral about a new team. "Well our viewpoint is coherent with what we've been saying so far on this matter. If the entry of an 11th team is additive to the sport, then we see it positively. It’s the duty of the FIA and F1 to check whether this is additive. And at the moment we just trust the work that these institutions are doing," Stella summarised briefly.

AlphaTauri’s CEO, Peter Bayer also underlined the financial struggles a new team can have and also create for others: "It's handed over to Formula One to see how to integrate this team onto the grid on a commercial basis. I remember before the cost cap was introduced, we had three teams' owners who actually called us and we had discussions back then about how they can't sustain this sort of investment any longer. We had Racing Point going into administration in 2019. And so I think that needs to be kept in mind, really. I would probably follow my colleagues."