McLaren boss advocates adding more teams to the grid while warning the 'dreamers' of the realities of F1

McLaren boss Zak Brown has advocated adding more teams to the F1 grid provided they add value to the sport.

In the last couple of years, Andretti Autosport has been spoken of as a possible 11th team on the grid. The American team has faced surprisingly vehement opposition from within F1, with the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull questioning the kind of value Andretti would bring and whether the joining fee is too small.

McLaren boss Zak Brown, however, is more than happy to have another team on the F1 grid, provided they are "additive" to the sport. Speaking to reporters in Miami, Brown reminisced about how there used to be as many as 30-31 cars in F1 pre-qualifying.

"As long as they are additive to our sport, I’d love to see more cars on the grid . I think it’s exciting," he said. "I remember when I started following Formula 1, you had pre-qualifying, I think there were 30-31 cars trying to show up to make the show. So I think an increase in the grid of the right teams that bring the right resources and are additive to what we’re all trying to do and help grow the sport then I’m all for it."

Can't have a team entering the sport underestimating the challenge: McLaren boss

The McLaren boss did however stress that a new F1 team would need to be committed and "do what it takes" rather than vanishing in a couple of years.

“What we can’t have is… Really the only credible, sustainable team that I’ve seen in the last decade is Guenther’s [Haas]. And so what we do need to make sure is if someone enters that they really have the commitment and can do what it takes. Because in my experience, I think in a variety of motor sports, you do see a lot of dreamers and what we don’t need with the health of the sport is a team coming in underestimating what it’s going to take and two years later, they’re gone."

McLaren has had a long-standing association with Andretti Autosport, with the two entities having collaborated quite successfully in IndyCar. It will be interesting to see whether Andretti is able to make it to the F1 grid in the next few years.