F1 team bosses remain intact with their viewpoints about an 11th team making it onto the grid and the entry fees scenario.
The discussion about a possible 11th and or 12th team on the F1 grid has been on for some time now. The FIA did open up tender and several applied for the same with most known to be in public like Andretti, SKY LUNZ, Rodin Cars, Hitech GP, etc.
When this topic took centerstage, the current F1 teams opined against it happening especially due to the profit sharing getting diluted. As an argument, they noted about increasing the entry fees from $200 million to maybe $600 million.
It is unclear if that proposal has been accepted by the FIA. In recent weeks, the governing body has confirmed about unsuccessful bids for some of the entrants where Rodin Cars made it public about their unsuccessful bid with an explanation.
They did pointed out towards Andretti’s acceptance but the FIA is yet to confirm that. But on the F1 team bosses side, things remains unchanged for now. They still have the same view as before and are waiting for the governing body’s final verdict.
Zak Brown: “We’ve not… well, I’ve not heard anything new recently. It’s not been spoken about so I think our view’s unchanged and (we’re) just going to wait and see how the process plays out. I think the one thing I would say is the value of a Formula 1 team and an entry, from what it was five years ago is… the sport is worth substantially more so I think that that element needs to be discussed. But beyond that, I’m not sitting on any new information that I hadn’t heard months ago and just going to wait and see what the FIA and Formula 1 do.”
Guenther Steiner: “Yeah, I haven’t heard anything that it was accepted or not accepted. I don’t know and I’m sure Stefano knows how to deal with this in our best interest. We put our faith in FOM to deal with it and as Zak said, the teams are worth now a lot more than when we’re deciding the Concorde agreement in 2020, where some teams we’re struggling to stay in business, and were worth basically nothing, so the market has changed, but in the end, I don’t have any news about it so I just wait to hear and then F1 will do the deal for us.”
Toto Wolff: “I think why Formula 1, and the team. have survived in the last years is because we all stuck together: the FIA, FOM and the 10 teams. We need to protect the sport, we are holding this sensitive sport that’s growing at the moment in our hands and that’s why the right decisions need to be taken, all of us together when it comes to – let’s say – a mindset and then obviously the FIA and FOM, when it comes to these decisions, because it’s out of the teams’ hands. But I would hope that Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano will take the right decisions for Formula 1.”
Alessandro Alunni Bravi: “I fully agree with all the other comments. Of course, as for us, we think that any new team must bring an added value to the entire F1 community and so it needs to be a solid project, not just for five years’ period, but must be a really long term project. We are a strong foundation and of course, it needs to recognise any new entry, the value and all the investment that has been done by the current teams. And as Zak and Toto mentioned, the worth of the current teams has grown up significantly in the past few years. We need to protect our business but we rely on the FIA and FOM to take the right decision. We will be ready to welcome any new teams that has this kind of characteristic. But we need first to also understand what is the best for the entire F1 community with a long term perspective.”
Here’s Rodin on their unsuccessful F1 bid