Mohamed Ben Sulayem opens door to a 12th F1 team

Formula 1 could make room for another team, but FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem has made clear that expansion will depend on the quality of the project. Speaking at the New Economy Forum in Madrid, he said the governing body was willing to consider a 12th entrant only if it was the right addition rather than a simple increase in grid size.

The championship currently has 11 teams following Cadillac’s debut this season. The FIA began an expression-of-interest process in early 2023 for an additional team, despite reservations from several existing outfits about enlarging the field. Cadillac was ultimately the only project selected through that process.

Several Chinese manufacturers, including BYD and Geely, have since been linked with a potential entry. A key difficulty is that BYD is not seeking to acquire an existing team, unlike Audi’s takeover of Sauber. A new structure built from the ground up would therefore require the FIA to launch another formal selection procedure.

Ben Sulayem also highlighted China’s importance to Formula 1, pointing to its Grand Prix, previous representation by driver Zhou Guanyu and the growing presence of Chinese technology. Any application would have to meet the FIA’s regulations and conditions, with the governing body responsible for ensuring the process remains fair to all competitors.