After Cadillac, Ben Sulayem ready to welcome a 12th team in F1? "And why not!"

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 FIA ​​president supported the arrival of a new team and the American candidacy from the start, even at the time when Andretti was leading the project. Despite the long and firm reluctance of the Formula 1, FOM and the ten existing teams, which had initially rejected Andretti's candidacy, the lock was finally released thanks to General Motors taking control of the project. “It’s very important. I was sent to hell and I came back. That’s the main thing. I was sent to hell…”, said the Emirati on the sidelines of the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend, reflecting on the many criticisms and backlashes he has had to endure during this time.

A constructor needed for a 12th team in F1?

Obviously, after this behind-the-scenes success, Mohammed Ben Sulayem feels he has wings. Strengthened by the arrival of Cadillac in 2026, the FIA ​​president is not ruling 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 a 12-team option if we have to say no, no and no? For me, it’s very clear that getting an 11th team is a win for everyone.”, he said. As a reminder, there can be up to 1 teams present on the starting grid of an F13 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 candidacy had always been focused on quality and not on numbers, that is to say on the total adhesion of GM as a manufacturer, and not on the Andretti team. “[Stefano Domenicali] said: 'We need a manufacturer, not just another stable', said the Emirati. So they disappeared for a few months and came back with a manufacturer. (…) Then they offered [to design] a power unit. They ticked all the boxes and we couldn't say no to them more."

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 had launched their candidacy like AndrettiAmong them, we found serious projects, such as those of Hitech Grand Prix or Rodin Cars – structures involved in Formula 2 – but also some slightly more outlandish projects, such as those of LKYSUNZ or Equal formula.

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