F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says the sport does not need more than 10 teams and 20 drivers, even though 'great drivers' like Daniel Ricciardo run the risk of being shunted onto the sidelines next year. F1 has had only 10 teams since the MRT outfit disbanded at the end of the 2016 season, but the sport's increased profile has led to rumours of several interested parties joining F1. Audi have confirmed that they will join the sport as an engine manufacturer from 2026, while Michael Andretti is looking to bring a US-based team into F1. But despite the current paucity of available seats meaning eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo's chances of racing in 2023 appear to be diminishing, Domenicali rejected the notion that the sport needed more teams. "As always, you need to be balanced," Domenicali told Sky Sports F1 . "You need to see all the things that are around the table. Having more drivers, at the end of the day there is always a limit at which you can go. "Adding one or two, you may open up some driving seats. But we need to also have the right dimension in what is successful for the sport. "I think in that respect there is the evaluation of the sustainability of the team, the evaluation of not being too crowded with that. So I would say in terms of priority, it is not really a need for Formula 1 today."
Domenicali - Stability is crucial
Under the terms of F1's Concorde Agreement, any new entrant into the sport must pay a $200 million anti-dilution fee to be distributed among the 10 existing teams, to compensate them for the extra outfit now sharing the sports' prize purse, which would not increase. But even having the financial clout necessary to fulfil this obligation is no guarantee of being granted a place on the grid, and Domenicali said his reluctance to increase the number of entrants is born out of a "having a vision of the future". "Now Formula 1 is extremely competitive, but you need to be very strong in terms of financials, in terms of competence, and today this is one of the things that is crucial, to make sure the stability of the system will be for a long time," said Domenicali. "You see how difficult today it is to find people that really are the top quality in all the different business. I don't think that today that is something we will be able to say with faith. "I think that is the time that we need to invest for the future, but we need to be balanced. So I'm not saying that this will not happen, but we need to take it step by step."
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