Max Verstappen, representing Red Bull Racing, races in the RB20 car during the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. This event took place on March 24, 2024 as part of the Formula 1 World Championship.
According to reports, the 10 existing Formula 1 teams are pushing for a reduction in the number of teams allowed on the grid in the next Concorde Agreement. Currently, the agreement allows for the participation of 12 F1 teams once commercial terms are agreed upon, with an anti-dilution fee of $200 million to prevent prize funds from being too diluted among more than 10 teams.
To attract new teams, the FIA initiated a bidding process last year. However, only Andretti met the requirements set by the FIA, but Formula One Management (FOM) did not approve their entry for the 2025 season.
Given the increased value of Formula 1 and its teams, there is an appeal to limit the growth of the grid in the next Concorde Agreement, which will cover the commercial terms for the period between 2026 and 2030. Both F1 and the existing teams allegedly want a limit of 10 competitors, making it necessary for new entrants to acquire existing entries.
Since Liberty Media took over Formula 1 in 2017, the sport has adopted a franchise model inspired by the United States. Understandably, current teams would hesitate to share revenues with new entries, considering the challenges they faced to reach the current lucrative period, including the financial difficulties caused by the Covid pandemic in 2020. According to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, the 10 existing F1 teams are now valued at nearly £1 billion each.
Si no se puede implementar un límite en el número de competidores permitidos en la serie, es muy probable que la tasa de dilución para los equipos prospectivos aumente significativamente de sus actuales $200 millones. Otra preocupación potencial, como señaló el reportero Joe Saward, son las estructuras de propiedad de los equipos. Ha habido discusiones que sugieren que sería beneficioso para la serie si cada equipo fuera de propiedad independiente. Esto plantea preguntas sobre la propiedad de la empresa matriz de Red Bull, que posee tanto Red Bull Racing como el equipo con sede en Faenza, RB, una estructura que ha estado en vigor durante casi dos décadas. Zak Brown, entre otros, argumenta que Red Bull debería convertirse en una entrada independiente, citando el límite de costos y la equidad del deporte como razones para este cambio.
Los nuevos acuerdos comerciales para el próximo Acuerdo de Concorde, que abarca el período de 2026 a 2030, deben finalizarse antes del final del próximo año.
