Alpine Interim Team Principal Bruno Famin outlines that Formula 1 must avoid “diluting the value of the championship” with the potential addition of an 11th team to the grid.
Back in February, the FIA opened an Expression of Interest process to identify “one or more” new sides looking to compete in the sport as early as the 2025 campaign.
Last month, the sport’s governing body confirmed it had accepted Andretti’s proposal, but it is still awaiting the green light from Formula One Management.
Andretti’s bid to become F1’s newest addition from 2025 has been met with stern opposition from the incumbent teams, who are concerned about a reduced prize pot.
Famin, who revealed that Alpine’s offer to supply Andretti with Renault power units had expired, has urged F1 to ensure that an extra team doesn’t lessen the series’ prestige.
“I think any new entrant must bring added value,” Famin said in Abu Dhabi. “We should avoid diluting the value of the championship.
“After Formula 1, as a promoter, is assessing potential new entries and I think they are at the best place because we have all the figures, all the data, all the information we don’t have as a team to evaluate if X, Y, Z new potential entrant satisfy the criteria of bringing value.
“In the case of General Motors, I don’t have at all the data. I’m very cautious with any general rules. I think every case is a particular case, and I trust Formula 1 to assess that very well.”
Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner has voiced his approval of General Motors’ interest but reiterated his caution against the prospect of destabilising the current teams.
“I think a company like General Motors coming to F1 is a good idea but as my colleagues said here, is like to evaluate how much additional value it brings, we don’t know or I don’t know because we don’t share the information and it’s something which needs to be evaluated by FOM and they will get clear figures,” Steiner explained.
“But I think Formula 1 at the moment has got 10 strong teams and to devalue them – why would you do that?
“So if it brings value, and I don’t know, we don’t have a vote in this process. We are a spectator.”
Meanwhile, the now-departed AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost sided with the view that the grid’s opposition to Andretti means little as the final decision rests with FOM.
“There’s not so much to add. We as a team don’t have a direct influence whether an eleventh team is coming or not,” Tost added.
“It’s a decision at the end from the FOM and from the FIA. They have to evaluate everything and then we will see.
“To talk about an eleventh team is one story. Contracts which are being signed that you really see that something is behind this is another story but once more, this is something FIA and FOM has to evaluate.”
