F1: Keep teams at 10 says Steiner

(GMM) Gunther Steiner thinks Formula 1 can ease off the pedal in terms of continuing to aggressively grow the sport.

On the one hand, he is a big supporter of Liberty Media’s push into a glitzier and more American-style spectacle including new races like Las Vegas this year.

But on the other, the Haas boss appears to be among those in the paddock resisting the idea of F1 and the FIA opening the door to up to two new teams.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali dealt a blow to prospective entrants, like the Andretti-Cadillac project, by hinting that the new-team entry fee should be blowing out to an eye-watering 10-digit number.

Steiner laughed when told by an interviewer for the Spanish newspaper AS that Formula 1 must be in a great place if the Haas team boss can publish a successful book.

“It is in a great moment, all over the planet,” Steiner admitted.

“The only fear is how do we keep it that way? Of course, Drive to Survive has an influence, but for me, all this is a continuation of the races themselves.”

He hinted that one way is for F1’s owner Liberty Media to lift the pressure off the throttle in terms of growth – which would leave the number of teams at just 10 for now.

“I don’t think we should put much more effort into growing,” Steiner said. “I talk a lot about this with Stefano. We have to stabilize the growth.

“I see what has been done in the United States because I live there. Before, Americans knew about F1 but were not interested in it. Now half a million of them gather in Austin. It’s incredible.”