Officials have arrived. After weeks of speculation and controversy, the FIA headed by its president, Mohammed ben SulayemThey have opened an application process for new equipment who want to enter the Formula 1.
The FIA intends to expand the ‘Gran Circo’ grid to 12 teams (24 single-seaters) and for this reason it has started this process that may allow the entry of one or two new teamsnever before 2025.
However, the governing body of Formula 1 will “exhaustively” examine all proposals arrive to avoid cases as occurred in 2010, when they entered Caterham, HRT or Virginprojects that were not sustainable.
“All applicants will undergo exhaustive due diligence. The evaluation of each application will cover in particular the technical capabilities and team resources applicant, the ability to raise and maintain sufficient funds to allow participation in the championship at a competitive level,” the statement explained.
The announcement also collected a few words from Ben Sulayem justifying the creation of the process: “The growth and attractiveness of Formula 1 is at an unprecedented level. The FIA believes that the conditions are right for interested parties, who meet the selection criteria, to express a formal interest in entering the championship”.
This move by the FIA is what Andretti, the clear team with the intention of entering Formula 1, had been waiting for some time. But, with the officialization of an admission process, this can open the possibility to many others: Panthera Team Asia? Porsche? a surprise?
