New teams in Formula 1, current participants defending the status quo
Formula 1 is a matter of balance. Not only economic balance, to be respected with the budget cap, and technical balance, but also political balance. The battle between the FIA and Liberty Media for control of a sport that the Federation governs but the Americans have made popular again worldwide is fought on multiple fronts: one of these is the entry of new teams between 2025 and 2026, which naturally involves the opinion of the teams already competing in the World Championship.
Indeed, the opinion of the teams. This is a matter in which the teams are somewhat restricted, but they can rely on Liberty Media, the “shield” for their interests against the FIA. As known, the ten teams want to keep the existing formula intact, with no intention of dividing the cake for 11 or 12 teams, as revenues would decrease if the entry fee for new teams remains at $200 million.
So far, Christian Horner has been one of the few to have the courage to talk about revenues (his famous phrase “Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas”), while others, like Frederic Vasseur and Toto Wolff, base their opposition on safety concerns and the lack of added value that new entries would bring.
Fred Vasseur’s words
“We haven’t changed our position at all: it can make sense for Formula 1 only if it represents a huge contribution in every direction. Often, there is talk about the nationality of the team, but for me, it is not a theme at all. Formula 1 is not just a British championship because 70% of the teams are based in the United Kingdom. The attractiveness of Formula 1 is based much more on the nationality of the drivers and has nothing to do with the origin of the team,” said Frederic Vasseur during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone. “For me, they should buy an existing team. There is a great boom around Formula 1 today, but we must bear in mind that a couple of years ago, team owners made a huge effort, entering now is more advantageous. I repeat: if this entry is truly an added factor for all parties involved, why should we oppose it? But it doesn’t seem to me that we are at that point today.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
Toto Wolff’s words
“We don’t know who has applied, I believe the FIA and FOM will decide regarding this new entry, evaluating whether the proposal is advantageous for Formula 1 and what they bring in terms of marketing and interest. Our position has been very clear: they must buy a team. There is also a safety issue: look at qualifying, even now it seems like we are on a go-kart track, we are all packed together,” Toto Wolff added. “There is no major sports championship in the world where it is possible to register an additional team and compete for the prize money. You have to go through the ranks and demonstrate the commitment that we have all shown over the years.” – the Mercedes boss pointed out.
“If it brings something, then we must consider it. In the past, when Formula 1 was on the brink of losing teams due to bankruptcy, we increased the number of teams and no one complained. We felt that we needed to ensure we had ten teams on the grid and didn’t lose any. I am still convinced that this is a league of franchises: when someone arrives, it should be like in the NFL, where the new team is asked what they bring to the table. This task, I repeat, belongs to the FIA and FOM, we can only comment from the ‘sidelines’. So far, no team has convinced us, but we have not seen the applications received by the FIA and Stefano, and they will judge whether these are positive for Formula 1 or not.” – Toto Wolff concluded.
Leave a Reply