McLaren boss Zak Brown details his support for a new Formula One team

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Zak Brown, the boss of McLaren, has suggested that a new team in Formula One could “help grow the pie”, amid rumours about changes to the sport’s format. This comes after news that Andretti-Cadillac might become the “11th team” to race globally from 2025, a move that Brown would support.

News of a potential new team emerged when Andretti Global and General Motors announced plans to race in F1 under the Cadillac brand. The FIA approved their intent, meaning they could join as early as 2025.

On the Track Limits podcast, Brown expressed his support, saying: “The pros is they can help grow the pie. That pie can be fans, first and foremost; that can be television revenue; that could be increased exposure in a certain market that helps to bring in more sponsors; excitement on the racetrack.

“The downside is if the pie doesn’t get larger, and then you’re just divvying up the same-sized pie, and that’s where I think the majority of the teams are.”

Brown has admitted that he is still puzzled by the proposed changes. “I think all of us are not that informed on what the actual proposal is, so everyone is running around with an opinion,” he said. “I’ve not seen specifically what’s on the table.

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“My view is as long as it’s additive to the sport brings in more fans, brings in more revenue, brings in better television contracts, whatever that may be if it makes the pie larger I’d rather have one 11th of a pie that’s 1,000 times than one tenth of one that’s 100 times.

“But ultimately the teams don’t have a vote in the matter, so we just need to be dependent upon Formula 1 and the FIA to make that decision as to whether they feel it’s additive.

“I think everyone has an opinion, but not anyone is that educated on actually what the proposition is.”

Despite Brown welcoming new competition, McLaren’s drivers might not be as enthusiastic. The team finished fourth in the Constructors Championship with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri claiming nine podium finishes between them.

The team could also see this news as a positive, viewing it as a way to halt the dominance of Red Bull and Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver won his third consecutive World Championship with the most wins in an F1 season – 19 wins in 22 races.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.

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