The FIA is seeking new F1 teams: who should join the grid?

F1 is exploding in the US right now, and with three races on American soil coming up in 2023 it makes sense that its presence on the grid grows too. Haas has shown what’s possible with limited resources, now imagine what Andretti could achieve with a big-budget entry… The Andretti name is already steeped in F1 history (not to mention its various IndyCar successes) and it’s already indicated that it’d be prepared to inject the hundreds of millions of dollars it would take to get a brand new F1 team off the ground. The leading contenders, surely?

Porsche looked certain to join F1 alongside fellow VW Group brand Audi with new engine rules on the horizon for 2026, but its long-rumoured partnership with Red Bull fell through and it now looks a bit stuck. Could it do the unthinkable and start an entirely new team afresh? Unlikely, but it has the resources and know-how (the 919 Evo pictured above was faster than an F1 car, remember) to make a success of such a big project. It’s also got its reputation as arguably the world’s leading motorsport/driving brand in its favour. Come on Oliver Blume, make it happen!

Ford’s doomed entry into F1 under the guise of Jaguar in 2000 means it's easy to forget that it’s one of the most successful F1 names ever, having partnered with Cosworth for a grand total of 176 race victories as an engine manufacturer between 1967 and 2003. That puts it third on the all-time list, behind only Ferrari and Mercedes. Rumour has it that Ford is exploring a deal with Red Bull - which now builds its own engines through its Red Bull Powertrains operation - to enter F1 as a power unit sponsor. Watch this space.

Lotus is a name we’d love to see back in F1, sitting sixth on the list of all-time race victories and the proud owner of seven titles as a constructor in the Sixties and Seventies. Younger fans will be more familiar with it from its separate existence between 2011 and 2015 alongside (and then apart from) Renault, which then bought the outfit back again in 2016 before rebranding it as Alpine in 2021. It’s a bit complicated, so click here to learn more. Anyway, the black and gold Lotus 72 is so iconic it’s still inspiring modern (albeit electric) Lotus products, with involvement from F1 champs Emerson Fittipaldi and Jenson Button. Must be a sign, surely?

Gordon Murray hijacked the laws of physics (and the F1 rulebook) with his Brabham 'fan car' in 1978, which won its only race before being withdrawn from competition. He used the trick again in the iconic McLaren F1, and is now pushing the tech onwards in the T.50; the 654bhp V12 flagship of his own company, Gordon Murray Automotive. And what better way than to really put GMA on the map with its own F1 entry? The sport has embraced ground-effect cars again, so the stars couldn’t be more aligned for Murray’s glorious return.

Having won the F1 drivers’ title in 2016 and immediately quit the sport for good, Nico Rosberg has spent the time since by dabbling as an F1 pundit, YouTuber, business tycoon and race team owner. His Rosberg X Racing outfit won the inaugural Extreme E title in 2021, ironically pipping Lewis Hamilton’s Team X44 to the crown. The time is nigh to revive that intense and bitter rivalry in F1 with a Rosberg-branded team: can you imagine him returning to thwart another Lewis Hamilton title bid?

With Tesla shares tanking while boss Elon Musk splits his time between rocketeering and kicking up a stir on Twitter, a Tesla F1 team is the next natural step to get back on track. Musk would appoint himself as team principal, of course, before sacking half his workforce and making those left behind work overtime to get the car ready. And there’d be no driver line-up, with both cars piloted by the firm’s Full Self-Driving software. #ItsTheFutureFolks

Netflix is almost single-handedly responsible for F1's rapid audience growth over the last couple of years thanks to Drive to Survive, so it makes complete sense that it should bankroll its own team to keep subscriber levels up. Expect exaggerated drama, unparalleled behind the scenes access, and Will Buxton contextualising the team’s every move.

Having forced his way out of Manchester United in pursuit of elite European football, Cristiano Ronaldo now finds himself playing in… Saudi Arabia. The move has raised a few eyebrows, not least because the 37-year-old has signed a deal reportedly worth $200 million a year. Not bad work if you can get it. With a contract until 2025, Ronaldo will soon have enough money to fund his own F1 team, and no doubt it’ll be called CR7 Racing. Ronaldo was pretty quick in his prime so the cars would be pretty fast, and the branded merch would be incredible. Siuuuuuu…

Chris, Paddy and Freddie have tried their hands at every conceivable type of motorsport on TGTV, now it’s time to go big. Really big. And it doesn’t get much bigger than F1. It’d be perfect because no one would expect much more than a plucky, but ultimately ill-fated attempt at running an F1 team. But just you wait until we’ve snuck The Stig into the cockpit…