"We have received many requests" - F1 CEO wants to increase competitiveness of current teams before bringing new ones

There has been a lot of chatter up and down the F1 paddock regarding the launch of new teams to the sport over the next few years. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, however, thinks that the priority is to improve competitiveness amongst the ten current teams rather than looking to add new entries.

As reported by Motorsport, Domenicali commented on the possibility of new teams coming into F1, saying:

“There are two open issues on this front [sport’s finances and budget cap]. The first is that of control, because if those who have to regulate miss something, the whole system collapses. Today, it is not enough to check only the technical side, but a strict financial control is also needed, and for this reason the FIA is equipping itself to be even more robust in its role as guarantor. The second point relates to some variables that were difficult to predict at the time of the launch of the financial regulations.”

The Italian emphasized that the most significant matter currently remains to secure the ten teams on the grid and the increased focus on budget cap and unforeseen costs that may cause problems between them. He added, saying:

“There are two open issues on this front [sport’s finances and budget cap]. The first is that of control, because if those who have to regulate miss something, the whole system collapses. Today, it is not enough to check only the technical side, but a strict financial control is also needed, and for this reason the FIA is equipping itself to be even more robust in its role as guarantor. The second point relates to some variables that were difficult to predict at the time of the launch of the financial regulations.”

New regulations and budget caps this year are expected to bring in closer wheel-to-wheel racing, allowing for exciting battles throughout the grid.

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F1 CEO claims sport's calendar is set to grow with Las Vegas especially showing interest

Stefano Domenicali recently claimed that Las Vegas and several other cities are interested in hosting F1 races. Miami has been added to the calendar this year, making up for a second Grand Prix in the United States of America.

As reported by Sky Sports, Domenicali said:

“Not only Las Vegas, there are other cities that are interested in Formula 1. We need to be balanced, we need to see what are the other opportunities. And very soon we are going to tell everyone what is our strategy to develop that market.”

The calendar added two new circuits in the 2021 season with the Qatar Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The 2022 F1 calendar's second race in Saudi Arabia is set to get underway this weekend.