10 February 2023 , 21:33
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Guenther Steiner feels there is "no benefit" to allowing an 11th team to join Formula 1.
The FIA recently opened a new process inviting interested parties to submit their proposals for a brand new outfit. The governing body is open to allowing up to two new teams to join the grid by as early as the 2025 season.
One of the interest parties is Michael Andretti. He already runs a successful motorsport team in many other racing series, particularly in the US, and has teamed up with General Motors and its Cadillac brand to bolster his bid to join the F1 circus.
Unfortunately for him, and all the other interested parties, the FIA does not have the final say. All 10 teams and F1's leadership itself also need to approve any new entry, which seems unlikely with only two of the teams currently open to Andretti joining.
Those existing teams who are positive about a new addition are Alpine – Renault are understood to have agreed a deal to provide Andretti with power units – and McLaren. The latter's compliance comes courtesy of the strong relationship the American has with chief executive Zak Brown.
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The fact Haas is US owned, despite their main base being in Oxfordshire, means they might have something to lose by another American team joining F1. Perhaps that is why team principal Steiner has made it clear he does not support a new entry.
Michael Andretti wants to launch his own F1 team (Getty Images)"What upside is it bringing? There is just risk, no benefit," he told Sky Sports. "Five years ago, you could get teams for nothing, you could pick it up. Nobody wanted them and they went out of business.
"Now, all of a sudden, everybody wants a team. But it's a lot of people that want to come in and the 10 teams which are here are all financially stable, all well set up. It's a very good environment at the moment, no-one is struggling.
"If you put an 11th team in and we get a little bit of a dip in the economy or something all of a sudden maybe people are maybe struggling to survive. Why take that risk if there is no upside? It's not up to me to decide."