Mohammed Ben Sulayem advises Andretti “to buy another F1 team”

Mario Andretti was denied entry into F1 for 2026 after the FIA accepted his application on a technical basis. Ben Sulayem, a supporter of expanding the F1 grid, had opened a tender process to which only Andretti had responded.

Andretti also involved several American senators and representatives to contest the rejection of Formula 1 on legal grounds by invoking antitrust laws, an escalation that was not well received in the paddock.

Speaking to Reuters during his visit to Monaco, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has now changed his position and advised Andretti to buy an existing team rather than persisting in its efforts to join F1 as the 11th team. “I have no doubt that FOM and Liberty would like to see other teams as long as they are OEMs (Editor’s note: related to a car manufacturer),” he said. “I would advise [Andretti] to go buy another team, not to come as the 11th team.”

« I think some teams need to be refreshed. What’s better? Having 11 teams in number or 10 strong teams? I still believe we should have more teams, but not just any teams. The good teams. It’s not a question of quantity, but of quality. » The president is not convinced about Andretti’s arrival in F1 since it’s not a constructor but a new team.

Ben Sulayem leaves a door open

Ben Sulayem declared that he would always welcome Andretti and his partner, General Motors, in principle, suggesting that the partnership would bring more to the sport than some of the current F1 teams.

Without mentioning any names, there are teams that are having difficulties. Difficulties in performance, even in management. It’s about having the right team, not missing a chance or an opportunity where someone like GM with a PU [power unit] who wants to come to Formula 1. Imagine the impact. We have three races in America. We have a lot of fans. But we don’t have a [American] team per se. I’m so happy to have Ford [with Red Bull], but imagine having GM and imagine having [more] American drivers.

This change in position towards Andretti could be seen as an effort to align with FOM and Liberty Media, as Ben Sulayem has so far had a cold relationship with the commercial rights holder. This fits into discussions to create the new Concorde Agreements.

The peace is always good, you can’t have unnecessary problems all the time, recognized Ben Sulayem. We both understand that we have to move forward and the only way to move forward is to have much more clarity between us. We stand with the FOM on matters. We are partners and we must also forget the little things and find a solution on how we can address these issues.

F1 has officially left the door open for Andretti to try to reapply for 2028, if GM is ready to provide a power unit. But Andretti has not digested the refusal and has aggressively continued his foundations to join F1 as early as 2026, opening a base in the UK at Silverstone and hiring former F1 technical director, Pat Symonds, as a consultant.