F1 revolt may be on the cards as Steiner explains new teams stance

Guenther Steiner has affirmed that he is strongly against adding more teams to Formula 1. And the Haas team principal claims that all 10 outfits hold ‘very similar opinions’ on the matter.

The FIA is officially exploring the possibility of adding up to two new teams to F1 as early as 2025 and is currently taking applications from prospectus entrants. It is expected that the body will make its final decision on whether any applicants are successful by the end of June.

The F1 grid is capped at 12 teams under the current Concorde Agreement, which expires at the end of the 2025 season leaving space for a couple of new teams. Andretti, Porsche, Cadillac and Ford have all expressed interest in joining, but Steiner doesn’t think it makes much sense to increase the number of teams.

“First of all, it is not up to me to decide, and it’s not up to the teams to decide. It’s down to the FIA at the end of the day,” he told Top Gear. “But my opinion is that if you cannot see an upside for everybody, why would you do it? Because then it’s a downside. If they’re not adding to the party, it’s not worth it.

“There’s now 10 very strong teams in Formula One. There is no weak team anymore. There’s no backmarker. Everybody’s financially stable, so we don’t really need one.

“If somebody comes and gives us an upside, all of us, I think we would welcome them. But if it is just to have more teams for the sake of it, I think, why would I vote for it to get less in return in the future?

“I don’t want to speak for the other teams, but I would say their opinion is very similar. We are all in the same boat when it comes to the business side of F1.”

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says that “the overall long-term interests of the championship” is the most important thing in the process, which starts with applicants submitting preliminary interest in the form of an initial application costing £16,000.

From there, constructors will be given the opportunity to state their case and provide information on the relevant experience and capabilities including technical experience, racing experience, facilities, equipment, and engineering resources.