The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) announced the official launch of the application process for new Formula 1 teams to participate at the highest level of motorsport, with Andretti Global top of the list.
While F1 teams and their small pocket of powerful allies want to keep the grid to ten teams, thus places for 20 drivers while the general consensus (and ungreedy logic) is that one or two more teams would be welcome.
In an FIA statement released to media today President of F1’s governing body, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said: “The growth and appeal of the FIA Formula One World Championship is at unprecedented levels. The FIA believes the conditions are right for interested parties, which meet the selection criteria, to express a formal interest in entering the Championship.
“For the first time ever, as part of the selection conditions, we are requesting that candidates set out how they would meet the FIA’s sustainability benchmarks and how they would make a positive societal impact through sport.
“The process is a logical extension of the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 F1 Power Unit Regulations from engine manufacturers which has attracted Audi to Formula 1 and created interest among other potential entrants,” added Ben Sulayem.
This means Michael Andretti, who by partnering with Cadillac has made a powerful case to be accepted as an 11th entry on the F1 grid, can put forward the Andretti Global case.
Considering the effort and behind-the-scenes action going on at Andretti – from building new premises and the $200-million buy-in fee reportedly on hand plus getting Caddy on board – it has to be assumed they will tick all the boxes as detailed in the statement below.
Other teams seeking an entry might include Porsche who have been interested to start an F1 project, as their sister company Audi has but are not sure quite how to get it going, while rumours of other syndicates getting their act together for a bid abound, albeit off the radar, but none have stepped up as Andretti has done.
FIA officially launches an application process for prospective Formula 1 teams
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile today announces the official launch of an application process to identify prospective teams seeking to participate at a competitive level in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The FIA welcomes interest from entities with a serious intent to enter the FIA Formula One World Championship. The high level of interest from a number of potential candidates is further proof of the popularity and growth of the Championship.
All applicants will undergo thorough due diligence. The assessment of each application will cover in particular the technical capabilities and resources of the applicant team, the ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation in the Championship at a competitive level and the team’s experience and human resources.
For the first time ever, any candidate would be required to address how it would manage the sustainability challenge and how it plans to achieve a net-zero CO2 impact by 2030. Any prospective F1 team would also need to illustrate how they intend to achieve a positive societal impact through its participation in the sport. This would help meet the mutual aims of the FIA and Formula One Management.
The overall long-term interests of the Championship, involving all stakeholders, will determine which candidates are selected together with the applicable regulations and governance arrangements.
The terms of the formal application process (together with the complete selection criteria, applicable deadlines, legal requirements and other conditions) will be communicated to candidates that submit a preliminary expression of interest to the FIA.