Formula 1: 20-car format is destined to disappear

The future of Formula 1 is taking shape, although the details are not yet fully known. This time we are not referring to technical rules or the race calendar, but rather to the number of participating teams. It is now known that the FIA had opened a tender for interested franchises. Well, that “contest” is closed, as no further applications can be submitted, and the ones received are being evaluated at Place de la Concorde.

The Federation is bound by complete confidentiality, but it appears that there may be up to four potential candidates. The most well-known and concrete is the one from Michael Andretti, who is making huge strides towards the top-tier open-wheel series. The project is ambitious, as it includes plans for an F1 team, an F2 team, and an F3 team. Michael and Mario want to do things on a large scale, and for this reason, they have reached an agreement with General Motors, which will support the consortium under the Cadillac brand.

A key figure in the operation is former Renault technical director Nick Chester, who is recruiting talents that are converging in a technical department called Top Tier Motorsport, entrusted with the creation of a car for the year preceding the regulatory thaw. John McQuilliam, formerly of Manor Grand Prix, and Chester Jon Tomlinson are listed as Chief Designer and Head of Aerodynamics, respectively, of the aforementioned group.

The Andretti racing program is not the only one knocking on the doors of Formula 1, therefore. The business is enticing, and other potential teams would like to be part of it. Three other groups were reportedly organized to explore the Formula 1 option, as explaiend by F1 expert Diego Catalano for FUnoanalisitecnica.

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The first is Panthera Team Asia, led by Benjamin Durand, which has Arab funding. The program has experienced several stops and subsequent reconfigurations, making the candidacy very weak. Developments will be observed, but without high expectations as the initial interest seems to have diminished.

The last two conglomerates are HiTech, led by Oliver Oakes, and the one captained by an old acquaintance of open-wheel motorsport: Craig Pollock. The former kart driver’s adventure seems to be uphill due to his known connections with the Mazepins, who are banned from Formula 1 due to the Russo-Ukrainian crisis.

Although Oakes has denied the “ties” between HiTech and the sanctioned Russian company (Uralkali), doubts remain that the Federation and Liberty Media could take into consideration in the eventual regulated admission application, as specified in a procedural procedure published by the entity based in Paris. Even this group seems unable to reach the finish line.

On the other hand, the last pressure group seems to have significant chances. Craig Pollock was the founder of British American Racing, acquiring Tyrrell with the support of BAT, the generous multinational tobacco company. He is a man linked to Jacques Villeneuve, having been his manager in CART and contributing to his arrival at Williams, the team with which he became Formula 1 world champion in 1997. Behind the fiery English manager, who seems to be very serious, there are Saudi Arabian funds associated with Prince Khalid, who has confirmed the start of feasibility studies, admitting that entering F1 today is easier.

Saudi money is becoming a very important part of the activity in the pinnacle of motorsport, as seen with Saudi Aramco’s involvement in Aston Martin (which has become an exclusive partner of Honda) and their financing of Formula 1 as a strategic sponsor. As we have mentioned before, the axis of the Circus is shifting to those areas. The fact that Pollock has the Saudis behind him can only work in his favor. However, we will understand more about this in the coming months.

F1, FIA: Evaluations underway
The Federation now has all the cards in hand and has initiated the process of verifying compliance between what is required and what has been submitted by the interested parties. From this point on, the French entity will no longer accept entry applications from other candidates. There will be no communications during this phase, as the FIA is committed to maintaining confidentiality. The only ones who will be informed for any clarifications will be the potential participants.

For this reason, the number of applications received on Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s desk will not be specified. The teams will have to ensure design continuity by gathering and maintaining sufficient funding to enable participation in the championship at a highly competitive level. The FIA is therefore looking for entities that are not mere extras but can animate the show with competitive cars.

The ball is in the hands of the procedural experts of the International Automobile Federation who are tasked with rewriting the category, which is standardized on the 20-car format that is now destined to become a memory. The dispute is about the number we will see between 2025 and 2026: will there be 22 or 24 cars on the track? We can only wait for the completion of a process to which the teams cannot object precisely because it is the Pact of Concord, the regulatory agreement of F1, that provides for the expansion.

Liberty Media, which was not too enthusiastic about tampering with a proven paradigm, has requested – and obtained – structural guarantees from the entrants. That’s why the applications from Andretti-Cadillac and Craig Pollock, supported by Arab capital, seem to be the ones destined to win the “competition” because they are capable of further expanding the business.