F1 won’t ‘rule out’ 13-podium team rejoining the grid in ‘next five years’ ahead of GM/Cadillac entry

Formula 1 is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and unsurprisingly everyone wants a piece of the action.

After years of negotiations, it appears as though an American entry will be on the grid sooner rather than later after Andretti had an application rejected at the beginning of 2024.

Andretti have been hiring staff from rival F1 teams, but the 11th team on the grid are likely to look slightly different to Michael Andretti’s initial vision.

Michael Andretti has since taken a back seat within the team with Dan Towriss taking control of the Andretti Global brand.

This appears to have gone down well within the Formula 1 community and at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, plans started to accelerate for a new team to be on the grid in time for the start of the 2026 season.

Andretti may even have a new identity by then, with Cadillac looking set to be the most likely brand under the General Motors umbrella to be used in F1, with confirmation arriving on Monday evening that an agreement in principle has been reached for GM to become F1’s 11th team.

There had been widespread disagreement among the current team about diluting the prize pot with another entry going forward.

However, a report from Auto Motor und Sport suggests Formula 1’s plans to expand the sport may not end there.

They believe Toyota – who already had 13 F1 podiums to their name – could end up as the 12th team on the grid in the near future.

F1 won’t rule out Toyota becoming the 12th team on the grid in the ‘next five years’

There are still plenty of details to work on regarding GM’s entry in Formula 1 before entering the paddock in 2026.

They would need an engine supplier as GM’s own offering isn’t expected to be ready until 2028.

However, the CadillacF1 team as it is currently being referred to would add another interesting twist to the start of the next era of Formula 1.

The report from AMuS then goes on to talk about another potential project F1 would be interested in.

They suggest that an 11th team could be followed by a 12th in the ‘next five years’.

READ MORE: Danica Patrick tells GM the ‘really good thing’ it can do for F1 as 11th team in 2026

It’s pointed out that the current Concorde Agreement allows for a maximum of 12 teams on the grid and every paddock must be big enough for 24 cars.

The appearance of the fictional Apex GP team working on the F1 movie has highlighted the ample space available at certain events, however, Monaco may be a tight squeeze.

F1 doesn’t want to ‘rule out’ another applicant, ‘especially since it could be called Toyota’ the report states.

Toyota are Haas’s newest technical partner, but ‘a factory team of its own could follow’ according to AMuS.

Toyota have a chequered history with racing in Formula 1

It was a surprise to many to hear that Haas and Toyota would be teaming up, especially considering how the Japanese manufacturer’s time in the sport ended in 2009.

Toyota invested huge sums of money to join the grid in 2002 with a pairing of Mika Salo and Allan McNish.

READ MORE: How Ferrari’s relationship with Haas will change after agreeing a deal with Toyota

However, the immediate success they desired wasn’t delivered and after eight seasons they departed without a single victory.

Toyota have a lot to offer as a racing organisation and the allure of F1 as a series is only growing as its popularity skyrockets.

Haas could see its identity changed as part of the Toyota deal, but the longer they continue under their current name, the more it potentially points to Toyota doing their own thing in the future.

It’s hard to argue that the racing wouldn’t improve with more cars on the grid and the level of expertise existing in Formula 1 means even backmarkers like the current Sauber team are far more competitive than some midfield outfits 10 years ago.