F1 boss Domenicali: We don’t need new teams like Andretti
Haas have been the only recnet new team entry, joining F1 in 2016, with the sport sticking with 10 constructors heading into the F1 2023 season.
Many pundits have questioned whether F1 needs one or two more teams to accommodate some of the great talent on the sidelines.
Andretti have expressed strong desire to enter F1 but it has been met with some resistance, most notably from Domenicali and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.
Audi will enter the sport in 2026 as a power unit supplier but are expected to take over the Sauber team - currently known as Alfa Romeo.
Despite Andretti's strong interest in joining, Domenicali wants to avoid F1 being “too crowded”.
“As always, you need to be balanced,” Domenicali told Sky Sports F1. “You need to see all the things that are around the table. Having more drivers… at the end of the day there is always a limit at which you can go.
“Adding one or two, you may open up some driving seats. But we need to also have the right dimension in what is successful for the sport.
“I think in that respect there is the evaluation of the sustainability of the team, the evaluation of not being too crowded with that. So I would say in terms of priority, it is not really a need for F1 today.”
With F1’s rapid growth in recent years combined with the new cost cap, teams are more profitable than ever.
Another team entering F1 would impact the revenue each of the existing teams get, explaining some of the reluctance to back Andretti’s entry bid.
Explaining his concerns over Andretti entering F1, Domenicali said: “Now F1 is extremely competitive but you need to be very strong in terms of financials, in terms of competence, and today this is one of the things that is crucial, to make sure the stability of the system will be for a long time.
“You see how difficult today it is to find people that really are the top quality in all the different business. I don’t think that today that is something we will be able to say with faith.
“I think that is the time that we need to invest for the future, but we need to be balanced. So I’m not saying that this will not happen, but we need to take it step by step.”
