Photo by Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Plans for a prospective 11th F1 team might have to wait
The 2024 Formula 1 season will begin with ten teams on the grid.
And, thanks to a recent decision from Formula One Management (FOM), the number of teams on the grid will remain unchanged in both 2025 and 2026, if not longer.
After the sport’s governing body, the FIA, approved a bid from Andretti-Cadillac seeking to join the grid in the future, the bid moved into the next stage of the process. That process involved working through commercial rights and other aspects of the deal with FOM. In the report released on Wednesday, FOM indicated that among other reasons, the proposed Andretti-Cadillac team would not bring value to F1.
However, the report also indicated that the door would be open to the team joining in 2028. That is when, according to the Andretti-Cadillac partnership, they could potentially compete as a works team. In the report which was released to the media, including SB Nation, on Tuesday it was stated that:
“We would look differently on an application for the entry of a team into the 2028 Championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM works team or as a GM customer team designing all allowable components in-house. In this case there would be additional factors to consider in respect of the value that [Andretti-Cadillac] would bring to the Championship, in particular in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM to the sport as a PU supplier.”
In addition, the report held that in their assessment, the Andretti-Cadillac team would not be “competitive,” a finding that hampers the idea that the proposed team would bring value to the sport:
“Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the Championship. The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the Applicant would be a competitive participant.
“The need for any new team to take a compulsory power unit supply, potentially over a period of several seasons, would be damaging to the prestige and standing of the Championship.
“While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around.”
Whether this decision slows down Andretti-Cadillac’s progress as they prepare to join the grid in the future remains to be seen. In recent days the team shared their progress on designing a challenger for the current regulations, which will last until 2026. The proposed entry has also made a number of key technical hires, including adding from current teams such as Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren.
Whether all of that now goes on hold remains to be seen.
