F1 is heading for political chaos
The debate over an 11th team joining the grid has opened a particularly nasty pandora's box.
Just before the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, the possibility of a new team joining the F1 grid took another step forward - and that’s seen existing teams ratchet up their objections.
F1 looks to be on a bleak collision course because it’s increasingly unlikely that an 11th team can join and the existing teams are kept happy.
Someone is going to end up grumpy - and that could have grave consequences for the sport itself.
The only possible new team that could now join the grid is Andretti. While other prospective teams were vying for a spot, the FIA announced just before Qatar that only Andretti would get the stamp of approval.
Andretti’s bid now sits with the owners of F1 - and they will make the final decision.
Andretti is a hugely recognizable name in American motorsport and the man behind the team, Michael Andretti, has been trying to get into F1 for a few years.
As part of the current bid, Andretti has partnered with US automaker General Motors to create an “all-American” F1 team with the Cadillac name. The team has pledged to run at least one American driver.
Existing F1 teams have long been skeptical of letting Andretti into the sport, fearing that they’ll lose out financially because the prize money will have to be divided up among 11 teams, not 10.
During a Friday press conference in Qatar, Williams team boss James Vowles said he was “very strongly against” the new team because Williams continued to lose money.
“I think the addition of an 11th team is a sensible thing – but only at a point where the 10th team on the grid is financially stable.”
In the same press conference, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur said: “It's not a secret that I'm not a big fan”.
Vasseur questioned whether Andretti would add value to F1, pointing out that the grid already has an American team (Haas) and an American driver (Logan Sargeant).
This decision has left F1 in a tricky spot because accepting or declining Andretti could have catastrophic consequences.
If declined, there’s a risk F1’s reputation will be damaged among fans, especially Americans, which could lead to a harsh downturn in popularity.
WTF1 writer Dre Harrison put it extremely well on X (Twitter), writing that declining Andretti would be “a spit in the face” for the US audience.
It’s worth noting that fans generally agree on allowing an 11th team.
A straw poll of more than 100,000 YouTube users earlier this year showed 85% support, while another straw poll of 20,000 Twitter users (by F1 journalist Chris Medland) showed 88% support.
But, the financial concerns raised by existing teams can’t just be swept under the rug.
While established big teams like Mercedes do turn a profit, last season Aston Martin and Williams both confirmed losses substantial eight-figure losses.
F1’s recent growth coupled with the cost cap has made the series more affordable in recent seasons, yet teams will be wary that it wasn’t long ago that losses were common. In 2018, the teams collectively lost nearly $200 million, according to Forbes.
Simply put, if the wariness of the teams is ignored, it risks some of them taking drastic action to protect their investments, such as withdrawing from the sport entirely.
As I said right at the top: someone’s going to end up grumpy.