Zak Brown warns prospective ‘dreamer’ F1 entrants against ‘underestimating’ what the sport requires

Formula 1 had earlier launched an ‘expression of interest’ process for parties interested in entering the sport. If all goes well, then two more new teams can join the grid as early as 2025. There are many contenders, of course. The most prominent (and vocal) of these is Andretti Autosport, who now have General Motors backing. Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren, is another supporter, and so is Renault. That’s because, at least initially, Andretti will use Renault engines.

There are other parties too. There’s LKY SUNZ (pronounced Lucky Sunz), who have said that they will be based out of Asia. Panthera Team Asia are also interested. There’s also BAR F1 founder, Craig Pollock’s proposal for a ‘50% male, 50% female’ F1 team, with the project known as ‘Formula Equal‘. Hitech and Carlin, both of whom have teams in Formula 2, are also in the mix.

The reaction to a team, let alone two, potentially joining F1 has been rather mixed. Most teams don’t seem to want another competitor. There have been reports that teams are trying to increase the ‘entry fee’, supposed to cover the revenue dilution from an 11th team. The figure is currently at $200M, but if reports are to be believed, then teams are seeking for it to be increased to as much as $600M, considering how much F1’s value has increased.

Apparently, Formula 1 also wants to renew the current Concorde Agreement ahead of time. This would be a central issue in the talks. One person that would support an 11th F1 team – and does, is Zak Brown. As per Speedcafe, he said: “As long as they are additive to our sport, I’d love to see more cars on the grid. It’s exciting. An increase in the grid of the right teams, that bring the right resources and are additive to what we’re all trying to do to help grow the sport, then I’m all for it.”

Read More: Zak Brown deems politics-stricken F1 a “very nasty” environment compared to American IndyCar

Zak Brown: Prospective F1 entrant must have ‘commitment’

Zak Brown is a vocal supporter of the Andretti F1 bid. He and Michael Andretti do happen to be business partners and co-own Walkinshaw Andretti United in the Supercars championship. While he supports an F1 team – he wants to make sure the prospective entrants have the required commitment. He said: “The only credible, sustainable team I’ve seen in the last decade is Haas, so we need to make sure that if someone enters, they really have the commitment and can do what it takes.”

The McLaren CEO does not want to see any ‘dreamers’: “Because in my experience, in a variety of motorsports, you do see a lot of dreamers. What we don’t need, for the health of the sport, is a team coming in and underestimating what it’s going to take, and two years later, they’re gone.” Considering they already have multiple teams in various racing series, Andretti would seem like an ideal prospective F1 team. Especially considering that they’re backed by a large OEM – General Motors.

But the response to them has perhaps been the worst. They’ve received a fair share of criticism, especially from Guenther Steiner. Maybe this is partly down to them being very ‘public’ about their proceedings. Both Michael, and Mario Andretti have hit out at comments from many F1 figures. But they still seem to have everything required – it’ll be interesting to see if they are successful in their pursuits.

In case you missed it:

• McLaren boss Zak Brown challenges Mercedes’s Toto Wolff to a boxing match in Las Vegas
• McLaren’s Zak Brown takes a dig at rival teams, makes surprising comment on Andretti’s bid to enter F1

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