Formula 1: a championship that limits itself to protect its business

Formula 1 could be much bigger than it currently is. This is not just an opinion, but almost an official acknowledgment. Claire Williams, who managed the “family team” from 2013 to 2020, stated clearly that the sport has enough financial resources to accommodate up to fifteen teams. Yet, the grid only has eleven. And, given the current Concorde Agreement, it is likely that this number will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future, as the rules impose strict limitations on expansion.

Formula 1: Cadillac is an exception

The Cadillac case illustrates this perfectly. The FIA had approved the entry of the team—then still known as Andretti—in October 2023. Formula One Management rejected it three months later, changed its stance in November 2024, and only made the entry official in March 2025. Nearly two years were spent to bring a team onto the grid that the system itself had already deemed eligible. The reason for this prolonged battle was not sporting, but economic: more teams mean the financial “cake” has to be divided into more slices, and none of the teams already at the table were willing to share more.

Claire Williams remembers this logic well, having experienced it firsthand. When discussions about the arrival of a new team were held in Formula 1’s Strategy Group meetings, the main focus was always the potential loss: ten to fifteen million per team. At the time, these amounts were significant, in an era when title sponsors paid around eight to nine million and team budgets struggled to reach one hundred and twenty million overall. It was a period when sponsors dictated the financial terms, not the teams themselves.

Formula 1: a business that protects itself

Today, the world is entirely different. Title sponsorships now sell for eighty to ninety million, and it is no coincidence that all teams—except the newcomer Cadillac—carry a title sponsor in their official team name. Major brands compete fiercely for access to the sport, and it is the teams that now set the prices.

Those ten or fifteen million that once made a real difference are now, in Williams’ words, “loose change behind the sofa.” The rapid growth in recent years—driven by the Liberty Media era, the American boom, and the success of the “Drive to Survive” series—has turned Formula 1 into a commercial machine that generates wealth upon wealth.

Yet, the championship continues to feature only eleven teams and grids that are often incomplete, in a sport that could technically accommodate up to twenty-six cars. The last time all slots were filled was in 1995. Since then, thirty years of empty grid positions have occurred—not due to lack of interest, but because of deliberate political choices.

The official justification is the protection of investments: those who have built a team over time should not see their economic returns diluted by the arrival of newcomers. This position is understandable, but it also exposes a contradiction: a sport that prides itself on growth simultaneously locks access to protect entrenched financial advantages.

The compromise found for Cadillac—a very high anti-dilution fee imposed on the new entrant—reflects a system that wants to expand without actually changing. It is a toll for newcomers to compensate those already in place. It is not a vision for the future; it is a transaction to protect existing interests.

Claire Williams summarized it effectively with a metaphor: Formula 1 is smart enough not to put too much “meat on the fire.” The problem is that in this case, prudence closely resembles a defense of the status quo. And a sport worth billions, with global demand higher than ever, that limits itself to avoid upsetting internal balances is not protecting its health—it is only protecting its business.

As Formula 1 continues to navigate this era of unprecedented commercial success, the tension between elite exclusivity and genuine expansion remains a defining narrative for the paddock. While the current ten-team structure (soon to be eleven) ensures financial stability for the existing players, the growing demand from global markets and major automotive manufacturers suggests that the “Sold Out” sign cannot stay up forever. Whether the sport eventually prioritizes the spectacle of a full 26-car grid or continues to favor its current high-margin model, the decisions made today will shape the DNA of the world championship for decades to come.