Problems to solve in F1 before being ready to accommodate an 11th team
On Friday, during the press conference, Toto Wolff, Christian Horner, and Franz Tost reacted to the potential arrival of an 11th team on the grid, discussing its possible advantages and disadvantages. Here are their opinions.
The FIA has opened a call for applications. It has also been extended by two weeks to allow one last team to come forward. The aim is to allow interested teams to show their interest in joining the Formula 1 championship in the upcoming seasons, particularly in light of the new 2026 engine regulations. Among these teams, the Andretti-Cadillac alliance is in pole position to join the grid in the coming years. However, this news of the arrival of an 11th team is stirring reactions for various reasons, both financial and logistical.
A question of show and marketing for Toto Wolff
Interrogated at a press conference in Miami, Toto Wolff believes that the 11th team will need to have a strong financial backing and invest heavily.
The opinion we expressed is that it is very difficult to perform in Formula 1. It took us many years to get to where we are now. We went through very tough times when Formula 1 was not the blockbu
Money problems for Horner…
This issue was not addressed by his Austrian compatriot, but the Red Bull Team Principal does not hesitate to emphasize the importance of the arrival of an 11th team on a fiscal level. Ultimately, who pays? I mean, if it dilutes the revenues of the 10 teams, it’s like turkeys voting for Christmas, he jibes. Is Liberty Media ready to pay and finance an eleventh team? Is the FIA willing to reduce its rights to accommodate it? So, you know, there are all the financial aspects.
And logistics
Another problem raised by Horner is that of space in the paddock, in the pit lane, and more generally around the circuit.
« Beyond that, with the way the sport has developed, if you look at the path of the grandstands, for example, here or somewhere like Monaco, Zandvoort, or some of the circuits we race on now, where would we be able to accommodate an 11th team? » he said in a press conference. « I think in itself, just operationally, where would we put the motorhomes? Where would we put the support? Where do the trucks go? I think it would be incredibly difficult to adapt with the current evolution of the sport. »
Franz Tost agrees on this point: « And as Christian has already mentioned, it’s also a question of infrastructure. »
The decision remains in the hands of the FIA and the FOM.
For Franz Tost, who is less concerned about the problem given his retirement at the end of the year, « it is not in the hands of the teams. It is a decision of the FIA and the FOM, and we will see what they decide. »
Toto Wolff, for his part, believes that the teams currently present in F1 could facilitate the arrival of an 11th team. « I think we should be open-minded and ask ourselves how we can contribute to making this happen. »
« But once again, we are not part of the governance. So I really hope that if we decide to go with another team, we will find someone who can truly take advantage of what we have today and make it even more efficient,” he concluded in the press conference.
