Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has insisted F1 and the FIA must not be drawn on the nationality of prospective new teams. Discussions over adding up to two new outfits to the grid are ongoing, with the deadline for applications having passed this month. The most vocal of those to bid for entry has been Andretti Cadillac Racing, which aims to be the only team to base itself in the United States, given American-owned Haas largely operates in Banbury and Maranello. Michael Andretti has been in constant opposition with F1's incumbent teams over his entry hopes - the former McLaren driver having failed in his attempts to take over the Sauber operation at the end of 2021. Since initial rebuttals over his proposed team, Andretti has entered a partnership with General Motors and the Cadillac brand to add desired value to the operation. Yet opposition remains as teams fret over the overall value of F1 and the potential impact new outfits could have on a number of issues - including prize money split. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff pointed to manufacturers like Audi buying into existing teams rather than creating their own outfit, though those comments were met with dissatisfaction by Andretti.
Position hasn't changed
Another issue outlined over the past six months regarding an 11th team has been the logistics of housing an extra operational garage in pit lanes across the schedule. But the presence of APX GP for Brad Pitt's as-yet-untitled F1 film at the British Grand Prix seemingly proved this was a non-issue - though Wolff warned a working new team and a fictional outfit used for filming could not be compared. "For once, I'm pretty aligned with Toto: you can’t compare the impact of the movie and the impact of a team," Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365 . "Have a look at what happened [in Austria]. It was already a mess on track with the track limits. Imagine if you have 10 per cent more infringements. "But more seriously - we haven't changed the position at all - that it could make sense for F1 [to add teams] only if it’s a huge push in every single direction. "Very often we are speaking about the nationality of the team but for me, it’s absolutely not an argument. F1 is not just a UK championship because we have 70 per cent of the teams based in the UK. "The attractivity of the F1 is much more based on the nationality of the drivers and so it’s nothing to do with the nationality of the team."
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