Christian Horner: “Having a team like Andretti or Penske would be fantastic”

For several years now, Mario Andretti has been seeking to join the Formula 1. Whether with Haas, Williams or Sauber, all its attempts have ended in failure so far. However Mario Andretti has not lost his determination and still hopes to join the ten teams already present on the grid. But for their part, some are very reluctant to have to welcome a new person to the table. A new arrival would imply reducing the cutting of the revenue pie. But despite the refusal, Andretti and Penske nonetheless remain important teams across the Atlantic. So interviewed by Sky Sports, Christian Horner does not neglect this dimension for the potential arrival of a new competitor. 

« Andretti, Penske, they are big names and I think it would be a good thing to have an American team. I know we have Haas but having a team like Andretti or Penske or one of their big names would personally be fantastic », announces the Team Principal of Red Bull. If the idea is attractive on paper, the British leader does not lose sight of the potential cost of this arrival. 

The question of financing this 11th team

« I think the problem will always be how to approach financing. Because by including two new teams, you dilute the loot for the 10 already present, recalls the Briton. There is no relegation or promotion system so this is going to be something that the promoters, including Stefano (Dominicali), are going to have to justify particularly to the smaller teams, why they should give up 5, 10, 15 million for the good of a new team. » 

The other advantage for Christian Horner with the arrival of Andretti would be to have even more cars on the grid. And who says more single-seaters, potentially means more chances for young drivers to show themselves in Formula 1. " If you take away the economic dimension, having 24 cars on the grid is a good thing », Says the manager of the Austrian team. This would also allow Christian Horner to place even more talent in Formula 1 while many drivers are currently under contract with the Red Bull Academy in promotional Formulas (Lawson, Hauger, Hadjar, etc.)  

Horner is already thinking about a new financing model in F1 

So to try to find a compromise favoring the arrival of a new team in Formula 1, Christian Horner already has plans in mind. “ We could see it in a different model. We could imagine the scenario of a customer car with a new way of distributing money. If they are not manufacturers, they could just receive the points or championship money but not the manufacturers' money. So this could create a third payment column for a client team and it would not divide the manufacturers,the Briton advances. We supply gearboxes, suspensions and other parts so why not go all the way with a new entrant. »

For the moment, Christian Horner's proposal is just one idea among many others. But these statements show to what extent a new opening on the American market could change the opinion of the 10 teams on the grid. Even if some still remain opposed to Andretti's arrival in F1. All that remains now is to find the financial package that will satisfy everyone so that everyone's shares of the pie are ever bigger.  

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