Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner admits that he doesn't see the number of F1 teams expanding beyond the current 10 until at least 2026. F1's current Concorde Agreement decrees that an entirely new entrant would need to pay a $200 million entry fee to compensate their rivals for the sport's prize fund being sliced into smaller portions. In recent years, Formula 1 has prioritised keeping its existing 10 teams in the sport over trying to attract new entrants, and Horner says he can't envisage any additional teams joining the grid in the short-term. "We've got a 10-team system at the moment, and that works very well," Horner told Bloomberg . "Effectively, you've got 10 franchises involved, and I think you dilute that by introducing more teams into the sport. "Until 2026, I can't see any new entrants coming in. It'll be a case of taking over one of the existing franchises if a new party were to want to come into the sport."
"Logical" for Red Bull to hold talks with Porsche, Audi
Volkswagen have plans to enter the sport in 2026 – when a new engine formula is set to come into play – with their premium Porsche and Audi brands. While Audi are said to be looking to acquire a team of their own, Porsche have been tipped to enter F1 as an engine partner, and have been heavily linked with Red Bull, who will start manufacturing their own power units as they transition away from their current agreement with Honda. "I think it's fantastic that they're talking about coming into Formula 1,” Horner said of Audi and Porsche's ambitions to enter the sport. "They're iconic brands – the Porsche brand is particularly iconic. "We're heading into a new chapter as we become power unit manufacturers. "Other than Ferrari, we'll be the only team to have engine and chassis under one roof, so it would be logical to hold conversations with them after declaring their intent to enter the sport."
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