The arrival of General Motors via Cadillac in F1, as the eleventh team on the grid in 2026, is first and foremost a personal victory for Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The president of the FIA supported the arrival of a new team and the American candidacy from the beginning, even at the time when it was Andretti who carried the project. Despite the long and firm reluctance of Formula 1, the FOM and the ten existing teams, who had first rejected the Andretti candidacy, the lock ended up giving way thanks to the takeover of General Motors over this project. “It’s very important. I was sent to hell and came back. That's the main thing. I was sent to hell…”declared the Emirati on the sidelines of the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend, reflecting on the numerous criticisms and backlashes he had to endure during all this time.
A necessary manufacturer for a 12th team in F1?
Obviously, after this success behind the scenes, Mohammed Ben Sulayem feels himself growing wings. Strengthened by the arrival of Cadillac in 2026, the president of the FIA does not rule out… the arrival of a twelfth team in the future. “And why not! It's about doing the right thing. So why do we have an option at 12 [écuries] if we have to say no, no and no? For me it is very clear that getting an 11th team is a victory for everyone”he said. As a reminder, there can be up to 13 teams present on the starting grid of an F1 Grand Prix (i.e. 26 cars).
However, according to the Emirati leader, the arrival of a twelfth team on the grid should be done with the same arguments as those proposed by General Motors. Mohammed Ben Sulayem explained that the American bid had always been focused on quality and not on numbers, that is to say on the total support of GM as a manufacturer, and not on the Andretti team. « [Stefano Domenicali] a dit : 'We need a builder, not just an extra stable', said the Emirati. So they disappeared for a few months and came back with a builder. (…) Then they proposed [de concevoir] a power unit. They ticked all the boxes and we couldn't say no to them anymore. »
In 2023, during the declaration of interests launched by Formula 1 with a view to opening the grid to an 11th team from 2026, several structures launched their candidacy like Andretti. Among them, we found serious projects, like those of Hitech Grand Prix or Rodin Cars – structures involved in Formula 2 – but also slightly more eccentric projects, like those of LKYSUNZ or Formula Equal.
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