Ben Sulayem continues to defend the new candidates in F1 and dreams of a Chinese team

The International Automobile Federation will make a decision on the entry of new teams into Formula 1 soon. In an interview with the German media “Motorsport-Total” during the Belgian GP weekend, its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem provided an update on the situation.

He is renewing his support for this initiative, despite the reservations coming from the current paddock. Last February, the process of selecting new teams in F1 was launched. Since then, several potential candidates have expressed their interest. Starting with Andretti, partnered with the giant Cadillac.

This candidate, who has been open and declared for months, is the most advanced, especially since Ben Sulayem recently expressed his support for it. Also, the F2 and F3 Hitech teams and the Formula Equal project by English businessman Craig Polllock, the Asian project LKY SUNZ, and the Rodin Carlin team have also submitted their applications.

The president of the FIA speaks in the columns of Motorsport-Total about three or four applications that have sparked interest due to their professionalism.

“The interests of sport come first and foremost”

However, the 61-year-old Emirati knows that he is facing a paddock that is rather opposed to the arrival of newcomers. This is because one or more new teams would mean a new division of revenues. While Liberty Media distributed a little over 1 billion dollars in total to the teams during the 2022 season, the newcomers will take a share of the cake, and if there are 12 teams (Motorsport-Total) estimates that the losses for the old ones will be 113 million euros over 5 years.

That does not prevent Ben Sulayam from remaining firm in his position: « I see that certain teams are not happy. I see the financial impact it has on them. But the interests of the sport come first », he argues, while emphasizing that the new arrivals will also create revenue with the « merchandise stands » or the « paddock club » for example. He also insisted that the FIA was only acting within the law and could not refuse a team that could « demonstrate its potential ».

FIA conquering China

Also, the former rally driver, who has been the head of the FIA since 2021, has expressed his ambitions, notably to conquer the Chinese market. In terms of electric and hybrid cars, the Chinese take things seriously. I think the [new power units for 2026](/f1/actualite/29510-six-motoristes-confirmes-par-la-fia-pour-2026.html) are the right decision. There are 1.4 billion people in China. More than 50% of electric cars come from China. It’s a fact. [China is a big market]», says the one who would like to see American and Chinese factory teams.

Today, Formula 1 has never had a Chinese team in its ranks in over 70 years of existence, but the arrival of Zhou Guanyu, the first ever Chinese F1 driver, in 2022 marked a real interest in opening up to this market. Mohammed Ben Sulayem concluded by stating that the decision on new candidates should be made within four to six weeks.