Teams most likely to join F1 grid in near future

Ever since F1 was taken over by American media corporation Liberty Media, the sport has seen tremendous growth and popularity in circles where motorsport was not necessarily the hottest topic to talk about.

The magnitude of change that the pinnacle of motorsport has gone through since 2017 when former British business magnate Bernie Ecclestone sold the rights to F1 to the American outfit, is multi-faceted. Liberty Media has managed to increase the sports' revenue in its fifth year of operation by 100%, which indicates the know-how they bring to the world of sports broadcasting.

This has resulted in F1 being the talk of the town in places where no one would bat an eyelid if a certain Daniel Ricciardo or Guenther Steiner passed them on the street. Open media policy, broadcast quality, and access to content other than the race itself, as well as the runaway hit Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, have put the sport on the world's radar. With popularity on the rise from fans, the opportunity for organizations to showcase their brand on a billion-dollar worldwide platform makes more sense than ever.

The die-hard fan recognizes the usual suspects that have been in the sport since its inception. Names such as Mercedes, Ferrari, and Williams tie the sport across a period that spans more than 75 years. Newer teams such as Red Bull Racing, who took the motorsport world by storm after dominating the early 2010s, and Haas F1, the sole American team on the grid, bring even more international flavor.

As is the case with any form of motorsport, be it grassroots level karting or fighting for the world championship in F1, operational costs are a major concern. This has been a major deterrent for newer teams who want in on the action. Ever since the cost cap was introduced in 2021, and the new 2022 generation of cars that produce better racing, however, interest has been steady from some heavy-hitting names.

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Big names that could be seen on the F1 grid soon

As the world realizes the potential of the new beast that Liberty Media has created, interest continues to grow in the sport as a whole. This means more organizations want in on the F1 circus, with the following five names being the most prominent:

#4 BMW

Conflicting information and rumors surround the Bavarian automotive giant. BMW has always dabbled with F1 since the early 1950s and 1960s as an engine supplier to teams such as Brabham, Ligier, and Benetton. The Munich-based company's most extensive commitment to the sport came in the form of the BMW Sauber F1 team after their alliance with Williams came to an end.

The team competed in the sport for a period of three years from 2006 to 2009, which saw them take 17 podium finishes and a fourth-place finish in the driver's standings with Robert Kubica. Kubica also managed to win his sole F1 Grand Prix with BMW Sauber at the 2008 F1 Canadian GP.

With the Volkswagen group most certainly entering the sport, there have been rumors floating around that suggest BMW will follow suit. Their current motorsports program consists of full-fledged GT3 and GT2 sports car programs as well as a commitment to the LMDH endurance prototypes, which are slated to run at Le Mans and Daytona International Speedway in 2024.

#3 Brabham

Another historic name that was resurrected in 2014 by David Brabham, son of the founder of the Brabham F1 team Sir Jack Brabham, has been creating waves in the world of motorsports. The team that has seen the heyday of F1 and Indycar since the 1950s, and last competed in the sport in 1992.

The racing outfit, originally based out of Chessington, Greater London, enabled some of the most historic names in F1 history to champion status with owner Sir Jack Brabham in 1966 and driver Denny Hulme in 1967. Nelson Piquet clinched the championship twice in 1981 and 1983 along with a total of 4 constructors titles and 35 race victories up until the team's last appearance in the 1992 season.

Since the resurrection, the team has entered sports car racing championships as well as the FIA World Endurance Championship and has a steady financial state. David Brabham also has plans to take Brabham into the consumer supercar and hypercar markets and could have the makings for the team to make a comeback in the sport one day.

#2 Honda

Honda's relationship with F1 can safely be called a love-hate one, as it loves to leave the sport and come back when it cannot have enough. The Japanese manufacturer went from dominating the sport in the 1980s with McLaren to having its worst season as an engine manufacturer in 2014.

In between this period, Honda also fielded a team after purchasing British American Racing, which ran works Honda engines. The team appeared for two seasons from 2006 to 2008, the highlight of which came in the form of Jenson Button winning in 2006 at the Hungaroring.

Honda decided to leave the sport again after winning the 2021 championship with Red Bull Racing to focus on carbon-neutral technology and net-zero emissions as an organization. Electric and hybrid vehicle development lies at the forefront of this new chapter.

The multinational conglomerate, however, still has close ties to F1 under the supervision of the Red Bull Powertrains division. They also kept a close eye on the 2026 engine discussions, alongside their partnership with the Milton Keynes team until 2025. Who knows when they might announce another comeback!

#1 Porsche

By far the biggest name to show interest in the sport has been Porsche, which aims to enter the open-wheeled series. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Porsche has been in talks with various teams as well as the FIA to join the sport in 2026.

Porsche has an interesting history in the history of the sport. Having competed in the earliest form of Grand Prix racing in the 1950s and 1960s, Porsche served as the engine supplier to McLaren from 1983 to 1987 with 25 victories to the team's name. The engines were branded under TAG, a private holding company that provided Swiss watch-maker Tag Heuer access to the sport.

The removal of the MGU-H system from the 2026 engine regulations also comes down to talks between Porsche and Audi with the FIA. Several rumors surround the imminent return of Porsche with Red Bull Racing and Audi with Sauber, or as an independent team.

Safe to say, the future looks interesting for fans of racing and the sport in general, with so much international interest in an evergrowing market.