The Andretti Problem: Does Formula 1 need an 11th team?
FINAL CORNER, CHEQUERED FLAG: The cases for and against the addition of another team into the F1 grid
Formula One’s boom in popularity has seen a huge increase in demand for entrants to join the sport as a team.
Yet the most recent arrival on the grid remains Haas in 2016.
The American outfit claimed eighth in the constructors standings in their first season, with all 29 points coming from Romain Grosjean.
Since then, no other team has entered the sport.
While Audi and Ford will both enter F1 for the new 2026 engine regulations, their pathway into the sport will come from existing teams Sauber and Red Bull respectively.
Their arrival will not signal the introduction of two or four new seats for drivers to compete for.
But it’s not for a lack of trying that no one has joined the grid.
The Andretti family has caused a lot of bluster in the media as they look to elbow their way into the sport having achieved great success in the US in IndyCar.
Mario Andretti himself is an F1 world champion and his son Michael, who runs the show from a business perspective, was a teammate to Aryton Senna for McLaren in 1993.1
Now, you may be wondering why a potential entry needs to get involved with the media in order to get on the grid?
The simple answer is: no one wants a new team.
However, it is, naturally, more complicated than that.
The American family first lodged their interest in joining the sport in 2022 with the intent to have their first race in 2024.
Since then, the prospective entrant has revealed that they are more than willing to pay the current $200 million anti-dilution fee required to join the club.
They have also announced a partnership with Cadillac and an engine deal to become Renault’s only customer, as well as plans to build massive new infrastructure to house the team in a base in the US.
However, the rest of the current grid has publicly declared that 10 teams is enough for the sport.
There may even be some merit to this point, too.
What would Andretti really bring to F1?
Despite their pedigree in other racing series, F1 is a different beast altogether and their lack of experience at that level, mixed with their customer status, does indicate that the Andretti team will not be blowing anyone away if they did join the sport.
So the concerns that the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull may have do not come from a competitive standpoint.
In fact one issue may even be a lack of competitiveness, as the sport does not want to carry an 11th entrant who is 2s a lap slower than everyone else as has happened in the past.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has also publicly questioned the need for an 11th team in the sport.
Speaking last year, the Italian claimed that a new entrant wouldn’t necessarily increase the value of the sport, which really gets at the heart of the matter.
“When we’re talking about Formula 1, we need to have an entity or a team or a manufacturer that is really solid, that is really strong and has a full commitment for an incredibly long time,” said Domenicali last August.2
“Today, I don’t see honestly the need of that increase to have a big value for the sport of Formula 1.
“I don’t see a weakness in the number of teams in Formula 1.”
This back and forth being played out in public has led to the intervention of the FIA, who oversee F1 as a governing body.
In February of this year, the FIA announced the launch of a new application process for new entrants into F1 for the 2025 season.
“All applicants will undergo thorough due diligence,” read an official statement on the governing body’s website.3
“The assessment of each application will cover in particular the technical capabilities and resources of the applicant team, the ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation in the Championship at a competitive level and the team’s experience and human resources.
“The overall long-term interests of the Championship, involving all stakeholders, will determine which candidates are selected together with the applicable regulations and governance arrangements.”
However, as good as this news may be for Andretti, nothing gets away from the fact that the current 10 teams still get to vote on the viability of any new entrant.
In fact, the exorbitant $200 million entry fee for new teams is likely to increase with the next Concorde Agreement set to be enacted for the 2026 season, in line with the new engine rules.
It won’t be a minor increase either, with a comparison made to NHL’s costs for new franchises joining the sport which totals to roughly $650 million.4
The original $200 million fee was seen as worthwhile as that was a similar cost to the one that Williams was sold for in 2020 to Dorilton Capital.
However, Audi’s reported cost of purchasing the Sauber team is reportedly much closer to this new potential $600 million fee, meaning there is some merit to the hike.
But, put plainly, this is cartel behaviour to ensure the value of existing F1 teams only increases, albeit effectively done so on an artificial basis.
If it becomes too expensive to set up a new team, then why not simply buy one at a lower cost?
That will be the hope the current teams have, as everyone—with the exception of Ferrari—could be convinced to sell if the price is right.
While the arguments in favour of an 11th team are wishy-washy at best, and there is some merit to the argument that the sport doesn’t need another midfield team taking up track space, there are also plenty of reasons to be wary of why the sport is doing its best to block the likes of Andretti.
The health of the sport will not be killed by an 11th competitive team joining the grid, but the greed of those already in the club could just as easily come back to bite them if they continue to push away interested parties.
F1 survived the arrival of Haas after all.
Prediction corner
The new sprint weekend format is underway in Baku this weekend.
I believe this could be the beginning of the end of the sprint experiment.
Removing any impact it has on Sunday’s race highlights how inconvenient it is, rendering the whole exercise kind of pointless.
It may still be used in 2024, but I could see the whole thing being scrapped in time for the 2026 season unless another, more radical approach is taken to the format.
Quote of the week
"I do like racing,” said Max Verstappen, ahead of Baku this weekend.
“I do like winning.
“I know that, of course, there is the salary and everything, and you have a good life.
“But is it actually a good life?
"I think sometimes you get to a point in your career where maybe you want to do other stuff.”
What to expect - Baku Part II
Qualifying has already happened and Charles Leclerc has earned his 19th pole position in F1.
However, just five race wins to his name indicates that a victory is far from a sure-thing on Sunday.
The big question now will be whether the Ferrari can cope with the pace of the Red Bulls over a full race distance, or will this be a repeat of so many races we saw in the 2022 season.
Leclerc is phenomenal over one lap, but a full Grand Prix usually sees him or the team fall behind for one reason or another when fighting Red Bull for wins.
Will it be the same again on Sunday?
For more info on this, I’d recommend listening to the excellent Bring Back the V10’s podcast episode on Andretti’s disappointing 1993 campaign.