The FIA has officially opened applications for new teams to join the F1 grid in future despite ongoing verbal spat.
Amid back and forth between the F1 management and the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the governing body has since officially launched and opened up the application process for any new team who wishes to join the championship.
The process is to identify potential new entrants who fulfill the demands as set by F1 and the FIA to be worthy of a competitor and have the means to sustain itself. There is already interest from many potential new teams, most notably Andretti/Cadillac.
There are other names in fray too, with the deadline to submission being April 2023 and FIA likely to confirm its decision by June 2023. The FIA will disclose the full requirements within 48 hours of their interest application with its last date being February 17, 2023.
In addition to the usual requirements, the new teams will have to address how they will manage the sustainability side in order to co-incide with the net-zero carbon ideology of F1 by the 2030 season. They will also have to showcase the positive impact to society.
“The growth and appeal of the FIA Formula One World Championship is at unprecedented levels,” said Sulayem. “The FIA believes the conditions are right for interested parties, which meet the selection criteria, to express a formal interest in entering the Championship.
“For the first time ever, as part of the selection conditions, we are requesting that candidates set out how they would meet the FIA’s sustainability benchmarks and how they would make a positive societal impact through sport. The process is a logical extension of the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 F1 Power Unit Regulations from engine manufacturers which has attracted Audi to Formula 1 and created interest among other potential entrants.”
Here’s the FIA note:
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile today announces the official launch of an application process to identify prospective teams seeking to participate at a competitive level in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The FIA welcomes interest from entities with a serious intent to enter the FIA Formula One World Championship. The high level of interest from a number of potential candidates is further proof of the popularity and growth of the Championship.
All applicants will undergo thorough due diligence. 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.
For the first time ever, any candidate would be required to address how it would manage the sustainability challenge and how it plans to achieve a net-zero CO2 impact by 2030. Any prospective F1 team would also need to illustrate how they intend to achieve a positive societal impact through its participation in the sport. This would help meet the mutual aims of the FIA and Formula One Management.
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.
The terms of the formal application process (together with the complete selection criteria, applicable deadlines, legal requirements and other conditions) will be communicated to candidates that submit a preliminary expression of interest to the FIA.
Here’s some other details laid down by the FIA: https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula-one-world-championship/season-2023/call-expressions-interest
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