FIA launches new application process for F1 entrants

The FIA has formally launched the new application process that will allow prospective F1 teams to apply for a spot on the grid in the future.

Earlier this year, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed that the governing body was considering launching an "expressions of interest process" to identify potential new teams aiming to enter the Formula 1 World Championship.

That process has now been formally launched with the FIA publishing the relevant documents and literature that potential new entrants must submit.

In a bid to safeguard the quality of F1’s field, the FIA stated that it would evaluate each application by relying on “rigorous financial and technical analysis” as well as “sustainability and positive societal impact criteria.”

Interestingly, the FIA also said that it would “involve all stakeholders” in the selection process, meaning F1 and its teams would have a say on determining the validity of a candidate’s entry, a point that had not been viewed as clear by F1’s constituents in light of Ben Sulayem’s previous communication.

The earliest a new team would be able to join the grid would be 2025, while candidates must pay to the FIA a non-refundable $20,000 admin fee for opening the application process.

As a reminder, F1's current Concorde Agreement caps the grid at 12 teams, so the FIA and F1 could theoretically greenlight the eligibility of maximum two teams to go racing as early as 2025. Needless to say, that's a very low probability scenario.

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"The growth and appeal of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship is at unprecedented levels,” commented Ben Sulayem on Thursday.

"The FIA believes the conditions are right for interested parties, which meet the selection criteria, to express a formal interest in entering the championship.

"For the first time ever, as part of the selection conditions, we are requesting that candidates set out how they would meet the FIA’s sustainability benchmarks and how they would make a positive societal impact through sport.

"The process is a logical extension of the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 F1 Power Unit Regulations from engine manufacturers which has attracted Audi to Formula 1 and created interest among other potential entrants."

So far, Andretti Global is the only entity that has publicly disclosed its ambition to join the fray. The team’s project, led by American team owner Michael Andretti, was upgraded recently to a full-blown partnership with GM/Cadillac.

However, that has not yet succeeded in convincing Formula 1’s team to welcome the US outfit into the sport with open arms. A bone of contention subsists, with F1’s incumbents opposing an entry that would dilute Grand Prix racing’s prize fund.

The FIA application process will hopefully clarify and quantify what Andretti-Cadillac will bring to the table and how its presence will enhance F1’s commercial value.

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