Addition of More Teams in Formula 1 Is Good or Bad (2023)
More Teams, More Drama…
Since, the beginning of Formula 1 in the 1950s, there have been many teams that entered & left the sport due to a variety of reasons, some weren’t able to perform well & some weren't able to find/secure funding from sponsors to continue in upcoming seasons.
If you check out the history of F1 teams you will see many big manufacturers name their Grand Prix Wins, Championship Titles & making records and along with these successive stats, you will see their mind-shattering story of leaving the F1 sport.
Nobody wants to leave the Formula 1 sport yet no one could be able to perform & deliver weekend-in & weekend-out.
Because the evolution of technology made Formula 1 cars more agile, complex & expensive and to keep up with big manufacturers like Mercedes, Mclaren & Red Bulls you have to have an enormous amount of funding & resources like (Engineers, Designers & Strategists) to make sure your success in Formula 1 — all these factors made F1 sport Cut-Throat, so to survive in this environment, is not an easy feat.
However, where there is darkness there is light, in the last decade many new teams joined but only one of them remained that is “Haas” which is gradually growing and tackling its technical & financial issues with each passing season.
And there is Williams who was the most underrated team for the last couple of years and now with his new Team principal “James Vowles” the team is getting better and fighting with giants in the top 5.
So, with that being said let's take a look at why FIA wanted to add new teams in F1 sports.
More Teams, More Drama
Let’s be honest, who doesn't want to see more cars fighting with each other and competing against their fierce opponents head-to-head & toe-to-toe?
So, keeping this entertainment factor in mind and the financial status of Formula 1 sport, FIA decided to add more teams to the sport, and to do that they opened the applications for entry in F1 at the beginning of the 2023 season in January and ended it in May and now the FIA is assessing & analyzing those applications & three names came out from FIA office,
Audi, Andretti Autosport & Ford
All of these companies are preparing themselves to join the sport in 2026 when the new engine regulations will be implemented.
However, as the F1 community is excited to see these new manufacturers in action, the F1 teams & few of FIA management are divided on this new team's addition topic.
Muhammad Ben Sulayem (Vice President of FIA) opined that;
“It would be unfair to say no to potential newcomers and acknowledge wanting teams based in China or the United States. Imagine us saying no to [the possibility of] potential teams, We are here to sustain motorsport, sustain the business. We don’t look at the market share.”
He further added,
“We are a non-profit, we have been established 118 years for motorsport. I don’t want any big team to take us to court and say that we have been blocking them for the wrong reasons.
Yes, we opened the expression of interest. They come in, we do the due diligence, we check, we look into it, we look at their financial side, technical side and we look also at where we see ourselves in years to come.”
However, Muhammad Ben Sulayem is pushing this campaign hard, but on the other hand, his colleague F1 CEO Stefano Domincali is cautiously optimistic about adding new teams before 2025 or 2026 until the engine regulations take effect, he said;
“There is a process that needs to be respected and I don’t want to add anything to what has already been said. But for my part, I don’t think that this is a factor that generates interest, because the interest is still huge, and it is important to focus on the things that we think are key to the sustainability of the sport. We’ll wait until the evaluation of the teams is finished and then we’ll see.”
So, apart from the FIA different F1 teams have their own opinions but the common opinion is shared by the team principal of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, Toto Wolff, he said;
“There is no mature sports league in the world, whether it’s a national football championship, or the Champions League, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, where such situation is possible, where you say, ‘I’m setting up a team and I’m joining, thank you very much for making me part of the prize fund,
You have to give to qualify, you have to go through the ranks, you have to showcase the commitment to the championship that we’ve done over the many years.
But in any case, from a team’s owner's side, there are no leagues that just increased the entries, because that just dilutes the whole league. I think if it’s accretive then obviously not.”
So, these discussions are happening in the FIA office & Team Principals meetings and if everything goes well then we will be able to see new teams & new drivers in 2025 or 2026 when FIA will implement new engine regulations with new car designs.
However, if we take a look at the current situation of this whole new F1 team addition hocus pocus situation;
Overall, the proceedings are underway for adding an eleventh team by the 2026 F1 season, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
One of the biggest contenders, Audi, is likely to buy into Alfa Romeo while Ford will join forces with Red Bull after the Milton Keynes outfit failed to come to an agreement with Porsche. Meanwhile, Honda will be supplying engines to Aston Martin.
Therefore, Formula 1 is rapidly evolving, with more highly recognized automotive brands making their way into the sport. But, will F1 ever change its stance on inviting more standalone teams?
So, If you like this story then Follow me for more stories like this and if there is something you liked about this story, then let me know in the comments.
While you are at it check out the following stories, if you are completely new to the Formula 1 world or if you are curious to more about the World of Formula 1;
👉 Formula 1 | A Guide For Beginner’s | Rules, Cars, Teams, Drivers & Point System
👉 FORMULA 1 WORLD | The Most Prestigious Motorsport In The World
👉 Formula 1 | Story of Flags You Should Know
👉 Formula 1 | Story & History of Tyers
Take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of my stories and until you finish reading them, I’ll meet you with a new story!!👋
