"If it ain't broke, you don't need to fix it": Aston Martin kingpin Lawrence Stroll opens up about Andretti becoming 11th F1 team on the grid 

Following FIA's approval to allow Andretti Formula Racing to join F1, Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has voiced his strong resistance against the expansion of the current 10-team grid.

Stroll, who took over the Racing Point F1 team in 2020, transformed the team into its current iteration under the name of the iconic British brand Aston Martin. He made the comments speaking to Sky Sports where he expressed his strong belief that Formula 1 should remain a 10-team championship.

"I think F1, at the moment, the business is on fire, the sport has never been in a better place, and I believe if it isn't broken, you don't need to fix it," said Stroll. "So, I'm a strong believer that it's working really well with 10 teams right now, and believe that's the way it should stay."

The Canadian billionaire's opinion against the expansion of the F1 grid is in harmony with the rest of the F1 team owners. They don't want the prize money to be further diluted.

The Andretti Racing team needs the approval of both the FIA and the Formula One Management (FOM) to join the sport as the 11th team. Having already secured the approval of the governing body, they will now enter into commercial discussions with the FOM.

Both F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the rest of the team owners have been steadfast against the decision to increase the grid size. This is because all the teams currently have a stable financial structure while the sport keeps growing in key markets.

"There's never been more fans, spectators at races, the audience is the highest it's ever been, I continue to see substantial growth, particularly in the United States, which is the largest consumer market in the world," said the Aston Martin CEO.

"As you know, we now have three races in the States - we're in our second year in Miami, we're going to Las Vegas in November. So, I see tremendous growth possibilities going forward."

The discussions between FOM and Andretti Formula Racing will go on for a number of months before reaching a final decision about the to-be F1's latest entry.

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Aston Martin admit their rival out-developed them through the 2023 F1 season

From scoring five podiums in the first six races to fighting for points recently, Aston Martin's downfall has been largely accredited to their lack of in-season development.

Although the team promised an aggressive development path this season, it has failed to deliver. Aston Martin's Performance Director Tom McCollough admitted that the team has been outdeveloped by its rivals.

"At the start of the year, we were a little bit surprised to be the second or third fastest team, but the margins between the second, third and fourth fastest teams were always very small. And we're always very aware that it doesn't take much to fall to the back of that pack." he said to Autosport.

"And then just from a pure development, race, bringing bits to the car, making the car quicker, it was a relative game. Some teams have been doing a stronger job than we have, we have to accept that."

The Silverstone squad has already fallen down to fourth in the constructor's standings with McLaren a real threat to take its position.