Williams boss Jost Capito has made clear that he would welcome fresh competition in Formula 1, adding that an Andretti team would be "a good addition" to the grid. It comes after ex-McLaren driver turned team owner Michael Andretti revealed plans to enter F1 as a new entrant . His father, Mario, took to social media last month to reveal that Andretti Global have applied to the FIA to become a fully-fledged new team for the 2024 season after an attempt to purchase Sauber-run Alfa Romeo fell through. The Andretti family say they are willing to pay the $200m entry fee demanded from new teams and are confident that, as an American team with plans to promote American drivers, they can bring an added $100m growth to the sport. Capito says that he and Williams would welcome the Andretti family - who he knows well - with open arms. "To have Andretti coming in, I worked with Michael in the US with Volkswagen. They ran the rallycross team for Volkswagen for five years, so I worked pretty closely with him," explained Capito, speaking to members of the media including RacingNews365.com . "I respect them. He's got good people, and he would be a good addition to Formula 1, that's absolutely for sure."
Capito: More teams would be better for the sport
Andretti's plans to enter Formula 1 were met with a mixed response from teams across the grid , with some more enthusiastic than others. The fear amongst some may be that new teams are entitled to their slice of F1's financial pie, something that the sport's $200m entry fee is designed to counteract. But for others, new teams will only grow the sport in new territories, only increasing the share for all involved. F1 has not raced with an 11th team since 2016, when Manor left the grid following their financial collapse. But the sport has not counted 12 teams since 2012, the number that Capito feels would be a "good number". "If we've got 24 cars, the past has proven that this is a good number and that Formula 1 can take it, so this is fine," continued Capito, on the prospect of new teams joining the sport. "I think the more cars you have up to a certain limit, and the limit is 24, as I've seen, then the better it is for the sport."
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