In his speech this evening, Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of F1, explained the current reluctance of the sport to welcome an 11th team, however very serious, that of the Andretti family.
The Italian believes Formula 1 does not currently need an 11th entity, suggesting Andretti’s team will need to acquire an existing team if they are to realize their plan to enter F1 in 2024.
Michael Andretti and his F1 world champion father Mario have presented new plans to join the grid with a Renault engine, after failing to take over Sauber last year.
They have also publicly criticized existing participants – including Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff – for rejecting their proposals – who plan to operate from US and European bases (similar to Haas).
« F1 doesn’t face a quantity problem when it comes to its teams. Andretti’s very vocal and public approach to trying to get into Formula 1 may not be the right way to go. . »
« It’s not about giving in to a bigger or louder voice, there will be others – Andretti has been quite vocal on his request, but there are others who say things in a different way and don’t push. »
« Mario, I’ve known him very, very well for a long time – he tries to pitch his idea in a way that he thought was the right way to go, but I believe there’s governance in place, and the decision has to follow the protocol that is in place. »
« Toto Wolff has a team principal position, a 33% shareholder position in Mercedes F1, he has a reputation of having won eight titles in a row so for his credibility there is nothing to add Mario is very vocal, so is Michael, and I ‘ve spoken with them quite often, as you can imagine, and we have to respect that, we may have different opinions.
« The evaluation is not just with Andretti, the evaluation is with others who respect a silence or try to be more productive by respecting the protocol that we have put in place. »
« I believe that more teams will give more value to the championship, but there is a protocol that must be respected and everyone – including Andretti – must follow it. »
« Today we’re talking about the new 2026 regulations and all the builders involved in that, incumbents or maybe new ones, are saying that time flies very quickly – it takes four years to make another power unit – we we have to be careful. »
« When we talk about Formula 1, we need an entity or a team or a manufacturer that is really solid, that is really strong and that is fully committed for an incredibly long period of time. Today, I honestly don’t see the need for this increase which would be of great value to the sport of Formula 1. I don’t see any weakness in the number of teams in Formula 1. »
Candidate teams ‘reinforce the value’ of F1
Domenicali hopes these new rules will help diversify F1 engine manufacturers. But what to do in the event of a new mass exodus following a global crisis? Could backing an independent entry like Andretti help protect F1?
« It’s the same situation as with Grands Prix – there are by far more people wanting a race than people wanting to leave the calendar. Formula 1 today requires an incredible level of professionalism (sic) and investments – not just for one year but for the long term. »
« Because there is a lot of interest from a lot of manufacturers, but also from a lot of teams, a team that is struggling can talk and negotiate with them if they feel weak or if they feel that they have no future. »
« So I think that’s another value for those who are already here – knowing that there are manufacturers around them or other teams who want to come. That’s a fact that, in my opinion, will reinforce the value of Formula 1. »
