Aside from chassis and engine rule changes, Formula One’s 2021 overhaul also includes a redistribution of wealth among teams.
Attracting a new engine manufacturer was supposed to be another target for F1 and the FIA, a target that apparently won’t be met. Still, when asked by Autosport if the 2021 changes could bring in new participants, F1 CEO Chase Carey stated that there is potentially “real interest” if F1 is able to “provide a framework from a competitive and business model perspective.”
“It is certainly a goal in the 2021 regulations. We have got to solidify those regulations to have those discussions. We have had, more on the teams side than the engine side, a number of potential new entrants that expressed interest and enthusiasm if we provide a structure that they think enables it to be something they could enter more constructively.”
What this means is that certain brands or perhaps even automakers would jump at the chance to join F1 if new regulations wouldn’t have them at an immediate disadvantage. It also means that whoever comes in 2021 would join in as a customer team, so they would need to buy their engines from either Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault or Honda.
While answering the same question regarding new entries in 2021, FIA president Jean Todt said that he would “love” to have new teams, and wants to see the grid expand from 10 two-car entries to 12, which hasn’t been the case since the 2012 season when HRT exited the sport.
“F1 should have 12 teams but of course it would pose a problem, because if you have 12 teams with certain revenues to distribute, those would have to get less income,” he said. “They would not be happy. But that is what F1 should be. Saying that, it’s better to have 10 strong teams, which is the case.”
As for getting a new engine on the grid, Todt added that “it is something we have been discussing with a lot of engine manufacturers and we did not find any of them really willing to be committed in the short and medium-term.”
