‘The thinking is’ that 18-title team will join the Formula 1 grid in 2026

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Haas were the last new team to join the F1 grid, but it’s been nearly 10 years since their arrival. While their impact has been limited, there will be no regrets about permitting their entry.

The American outfit have yet to score a podium, but they have occasionally delivered headline results. In fact, one of their best showings in F1 came in their first-ever race in Australia, when Romain Grosjean came home sixth.

Remarkably, he followed that up with fifth in Bahrain at round two. Haas have only been able to better that position once, with Grosjean finishing P4 at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.

The team will surpass 200 races next year, and should also clear the 300-point barrier (they’re currently on 276). 2018 was indeed their best season to date as Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen steered them to fifth in the standings.

Elsewhere on the grid, there have been plenty of rebrands without substantive changes. Force India became Racing Point and then Aston Martin, while Lotus gave way to Renault and then Alpine.

The Red Bull junior team was known as Toro Rosso from 2006 to 2019, before three years under the moniker of AlphaTauri. They’re now RB, while Sauber will transition to Audi in 2026 following a full takeover from the German manufacturer.

Andretti expect to join the Formula 1 grid for new regulations

After a 10-year wait, F1 could finally have a brand new team for 2026. Andretti believe they will be allowed to enter the sport at the start of the new regulations.

That’s according to journalist Edd Straw, who was speaking on The Race F1 YouTube channel. The sport rejected Andretti’s initial bid to enter in 2025 and 2026 amid doubts about their competitiveness.

They didn’t think they would add value to the sport and invited them to reapply for 2028, when they’ll have a General Motors power unit. But Andretti have refused to ‘back off’ and there’s now optimism that they’ll be on the grid in the not-too-distant future.

The Indianapolis-based team have already achieved success in other disciplines. They have 18 drivers’ titles to their name overall, including four in IndyCar and one in Formula E.

“They haven’t backed off since Formula 1 said no,” Straw said. “They’re pushing on all guns blazing. The thinking is that they’ll be let in. They’re expecting, come 2026, to be on the grid. They don’t think Formula 1 can keep them out.”

Could Andretti buy Alpine to secure place in F1?

If Andretti can’t secure the green light for their own independent entry, they could also look to purchase an existing team. Alpine would be the outstanding candidate.

The Enstone outfit are closing down their F1 engine operation and becoming a customer team instead. Flavio Briatore has agreed a deal with Mercedes to run their power units.

Many see this as a prelude to a full sale further down the line. Renault seem to be losing their motivation to make the project work.

Behind the scenes, Andretti are exploring a deal to buy Alpine. While this may not be a plan A, it could be a far less complicated route into F1.