FIA Approves an 11th team on the grid
Andretti Global clears the first hurdle to join F1 as an 11th team.
The FIA has just approved an eleventh team on the grid. After Andretti failed to buy into Alfa Romeo, they elected to team with GM to apply as Andretti Cadillac Racing. Andretti was one of four teams applying for a spot on the grid, and the FIA gave Andretti the green light. The FIA stated that four teams qualified for consideration, but Andretti was “the only candidate to meet the stringent criteria.” However, this is just the first step, and Andretti will need to be approved by Formula 1 (FOM). Formula 1 has a 12-team limit as stated in the Concorde Agreement.
The push is led by Michael Andretti, who won the US CART Championship and had a seat on Mclaren’s F1 team for a few years in the 1990s. The approval from the FIA was Andretti’s first step in bringing his family back to the pinnacle of motorsport racing. Mario Andretti, Michael’s father, won the 1978 F1 Championship. Furthermore, the father-son duo are ranked third and fourth on the IndyCar’s all-time win list.
Reactions
There were a variety of reactions, but most were against the expansion. Andretti will have to pay teams 200 million dollars as an anti-dilution fund, however many teams argued that in the recent rise in popularity of F1, 200 million isn’t enough. Moreover, adding two more cars to the grid will make qualifying harder and the race more chaotic.
Previous Expansions
This is the third time the FIA has been open to pitches from new teams. The first was in 2009 when four teams were allowed to join, all of which went bankrupt, resulting in the stringent application process today. Haas joined in 2016 through a similar application process.
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