Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the President of the FIA, advised Andretti-Cadillac to acquire an existing team while continuing their efforts to enter Formula 1. Andretti’s proposal was accepted by the FIA last October, but the Formula One Management (FOM) decided not to give the green light to the American team for the years 2025 or 2026. The FOM expressed doubts about the value that Andretti would bring to F1, but will consider an application for 2028 if General Motors becomes an engine supplier. This contradicts Ben Sulayem’s opinions, as he had previously opened a bidding process based on the current terms allowing F1 to have “up to 12 teams.” However, since F1 did not yield, Ben Sulayem changed his position and advised Andretti to explore the possibility of acquiring one of the existing 10 teams. He believes that some teams need to be refreshed and that it is better to have 10 strong teams than 11 teams of varied quality. Ben Sulayem still supports the idea of an authentic American team joining F1, as he believes it would have a positive impact on the series. He expressed his happiness with Ford’s involvement with Red Bull, but emphasized the potential impact of having GM and more American drivers in the sport. Earlier this month, the FIA and F1 announced the creation of a new strategic plan to improve the sport and resolve recent conflicts between the two parties. Ben Sulayem emphasized the importance of peace and clarity to move forward and find solutions to address the issues between them.
