FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has reiterated his backing for new Formula 1 entries amid Andretti Global’s ongoing bid.
Last week, Andretti announced an alliance with General Motors in a deal that would see Cadillac join the grid alongside it.
The news was met with a lukewarm and cautious response from F1, while the FIA, the series’ governing body, was more receptive and welcoming.
A recent report stated that a strong majority of the F1 teams are against Andretti joining the grid and expanding it beyond 10 teams.
It is anticipated that Alpine is in favour of Andretti’s entry, as it is believed that Renault is the manufacturer that would initially supply Andretti Cadillac with Power Units.
Teams are worried about how Andretti’s entry would impact its share of revenues.
But speaking to media at the Dakar Rally from Saudi Arabia, Ben Sulayem says that F1 should be more open to taking on new teams.
“In general, if we look at the sustainability of Formula 1, we have to open it up to other brands. We can have up to 12 teams on the grid,” said Ben Sulayem.
“An OEM – manufacturer – will help make Formula 1 better and I see no reason for which we should not welcome new teams, especially the Americans.
“We have three races there already this year. We welcome any proposal to be one of the 12 teams.
“We accept good teams, even if they are small, as is the case with Haas. We hope that things will change and we will be able to have a proper 11th team, we’ll see what happens.”
The FIA is looking into forming an expressions of interest process for new potential teams.
Andretti Cadillac is also extremely likely to field an American driver if its bid to join the grid is successful. The current leading candidate is Colton Herta, who attracted great interest from Red Bull in 2022.
