No 'serious enquiries' from potential new F1 teams
- Published on 07 Sep 2017 10:46
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- By: Rob Veenstra
F1 looks set to stay at just ten teams for now. Recently, FIA president Jean Todt confirmed reports that a couple of groups have expressed interest in filling the last two team places in pitlane.
"If a large manufacturer wants to come in, that is easy," said the Frenchman. "If it is an independent team, we would have to take a closer look." It now appears as if the interest expressed recently was indeed by parties proposing to launch smaller, independent teams.
Todt said: "Yes, there are enquiries, but nothing that I would describe as serious. We now have ten teams and a good world championship, but ideally we would have 12 teams as is allowed in the current agreements. If we would get to the point where a serious request is made, as was the case with Gene Haas, then we would make a new tender," he added. (GMM)
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Replies (4)
Login to replyreg
Posts: 162
So Porsche looking unlikely in the near future then?
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Not as a works team no, but they didnt really plan to enter as such to begin with. If they enter, I bet it is as an engine supplier.
LightIsRight
Posts: 113
That's pretty much a "no shit sherlock" moment. You won't jump into F1 so close to a major rule change which may well bring down your start up and operating costs substantially. Probably only get new teams after the new engine era dawns. Also why would you go into the current complicated F1 scene when you can just buy the standard formula e car and in theory be competitive immediately with no development race and substantially cheaper drivers. Formula E is a cheap sell out for companies looking to get into high end motorsport. I still think it's a great idea but it annoys me that Audi and others dropped le mans to essentially go rent a race car just to show they are looking at the future.
JoeGreen84
Posts: 30
Not really a surprise tbh. HAAS pushed the limits of a customer team. Most of those loopholes have now been closed and there arnt that many companies with the spare 400 million knocking around and the infra structure to take a full race team and development. Porsche as an ENGINE supplier only from 2021 or whatever it is would be interesting tho.