Stefano Domenicali believes that the Formula One paddock can not ‘logistically’ accommodate a 12th team, with the grid set to be capped, for now, after the entry of Cadillac. Before F1’s newest team were accepted into the World Championship for the 2026 season, Andretti were rejected following a lengthy pursuit of a berth on the grid.
Other teams have also been linked with proposals, including Hitech Grand Prix, who operate in Formula Two, and a relaunch of the Caterham squad. However, any F1 hopefuls are unlikely to break through during the early stages of the new technical regulations, which come into effect next season. “We have to be cautious,” Domenicali explained ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.
“We’ll only evaluate a bid of great significance because I think we’re already at a point with no more room – logistically we’re at the limit. I see great interest from funds and investors looking to buy current franchises – let’s call them that – because a team’s value is growing exponentially, and therefore financial interest in investing in F1 is also increasing.
“We see it first-hand because we receive many enquiries, and the same happens to the teams. But precisely because things are going well, we must be prudent and protect the value of what we’ve built.”
While a 12th team is off the cards, Domenicali isn’t ruling out other changes to the sport. The F1 CEO has floated the idea of significantly increasing the number of sprint races per season, and also implementing reverse grids, which have been an integral part of Formula Two and Formula Three sprints.
The most controversial debate, however, revolves around the length of Grand Prix races. Ahead of Sunday’s outing in Monza, Domenicali questioned the attention spans of younger viewers, citing that they prefer to watch the shorter highlight packages.
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This idea was rejected by several drivers. “I don’t think it’s a problem with the sport, so probably it’s not needed to change,” said two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. “But Stefano knows better than anyone, so if he thinks that if it’s needed, we are in good hands in this kind of decisions with him.
“Football matches are a little bit long; when I sit in front of the TV, I’m not watching the 90 minutes concentrated. I go to the kitchen, go back, I mean, there is always some moments of distraction.
“But no one is talking about having 60-minute football matches or something like that. It’s a problem of the society and the kids, but not the sport, so probably it’s not needed to change.”