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Formula One and the FIA have hinted at a willingness to expand the field beyond ten teams. With the inclusion of the 11th member in the current squad F1 will aim to capture more eyeballs worldwide and try and expand their market favoring and catering to an even bigger market. This could be great news for the former F1 legend Michael Andretti who aims to have a team of his own on that grid.
If Michael Andretti was the type of entrant F1 desired, this would be wonderful news. He isn’t, however. For a reason, Andretti’s potential entrance is being kept at arm’s length. Stakeholders in Formula One are requesting proof of the benefits of approving an Andretti Global F1 team entry in 2024. F1 would prefer a global manufacturer because it would have far greater reach and appeal internationally. Whereas the Andretti argument has tended to be massively dependent on the theoretical benefits it would have in the United States.
Audi, which appears to be the most likely to join the Formula One grid in 2026, does not appear to be interested in forming its own team from scratch. It wants to invest in an existing team and create its own engine for them to utilize. Sauber (currently racing as Alfa Romeo) has the greatest chance, it has outstanding infrastructure, is ready to sell the name rights at the very least, and has worked with Audi on the LMP1 challenge previously. Williams may also be a better alternative because it is situated in the UK, and has massive resale value.
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Honda, on the other hand, has just recently left Formula One. And it hasn’t done so convincingly, considering that Red Bull and AlphaTauri are still using its engines and will remain until the end of 2025. However, F1 is quite interested in Honda returning, and has suspected for some time, at least since the conclusion of last season, that Honda may have regretted its choice to depart. Honda departed because the board needed to reinvest its massive F1 R&D spending in other parts of the business, since it had lagged behind competitors on sustainable technology.
As far everything is just in talk and nothing is confirmed. Will we be able to see a 11th team on the grid and who will it be ? only time will tell.
