'Four or five' new teams want to join Formula 1, says Stefano Domenicali

Formula 1 has received ‘four or five’ requests from interested parties to increase the number of teams on the grid, according to CEO Stefano Domenicali.

10 teams have competed in F1 since the 2017 campaign, and American outfit Haas were the last team to enter the championship at the beginning of the 2016 season. There were 24 cars on the grid between 2010 and 2012.

The former F1 driver Michael Andretti, who drove for McLaren in the 1993 season, has announced his desire for his Andretti Autosport brand to join the grid as soon as possible. The request was met with a lukewarm response from current team principals, though, with prize money broadcast and rights revenues diminishing if funds are to be split between ten teams rather than 11.

Now, Domenicali says that it is not only Andretti who wants to enter Formula 1 in the near future.

‘There’s not only Michael Andretti,’ Domenicali told Sky Sports. ‘He is maybe the most vocal one, but we have more than four or five requests to consider an extra team to be a part of Formula 1.’

F1 has undergone significant growth since it was purchased by former supremo Bernie Ecclestone by American mass media corporation Liberty Media in 2017, including an expanded calendar which has hit a record-breaking 23 races for the 2022 campaign.

Domenicali said that ‘find the right strategy for the future’ and does not necessarily believe that more teams means more interest from fans and sponsors.

I have to be very honest, today F1 with 10 teams, with the competition on the track, is very, very solid,’ he explained. ‘There’s complexities that need to be considered if other teams can be added. Therefore I don’t think it’s the most important element to grow F1, to be honest.’

The battle between Lewis