F1’s current teams could be facing an $11 million deficit per year, should Andretti eventually come into the sport, as teams will now have to pay more to compensate for an 11th member of the grid.
The recent announcement by the FIA that American motor racing team Andretti, have been given the green light into F1, but there is still no guarantee that the American outfit will get in, as the ball now lays in the park of current F1 teams.
Former Marussia driver, and current Sky Sports F1 presenter, Karun Chandhok, indicated that Andretti‘s entry into F1 could cost the existing teams millions.
“Would like to see them on the grid! More cars is good for F1 & young drivers,” Chandhok said on X, formally Twitter.
“Told by one TP [team principal] that existing teams would lose $11 million per year by slicing the pie 11 ways. If Andretti are willing to put in the $600 million to compensate the teams, that covers them for five years.”
F1 teams opposed to Andretti
Any new entry into the F1 grid must first pass a series of assessments from the FIA, along with gaining approval from existing F1 teams. Long time rivals Mercedes and Red Bull, seem united in rejection of this proposal, along with six others in the paddock.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner seemed to back up Chandhok’s point, further adding that only two teams – McLaren and Alpine – stand in favour of Andretti joining F1.
“At the moment, there are only two teams that agree [to the Andretti entry],” Horner told the media. “One is Andretti‘s partner in IndyCar [McLaren] and the other one maybe will provide them with the engine [Alpine], so of course they will support it.
“But I think for the other eight it will come down to whether the percentage of the prize money that the ten teams currently depend on, will be on them.”
Andretti are the only team to be accepted by the FIA as a prospective F1 team, with the likes of Rodin, Hitech and Lky Sunz having failed the initial application process.
The current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of the 2025 F1 season, with new negotiations between American owners Liberty Media and the FIA set to begin soon. The Andretti topic is set to be the main talking point of the renegotiations.
