As motor racing’s governing body continues its evaluation of potential new entries from 2025, Ben Sulayem says he thinks the arrival of manufacturers from the world’s two largest economies would be great for F1.
Speaking to Motorsport.com’s sister site Motorsport-total.com, Ben Sulayem believed that car makers from the USA and China would deliver a huge uplift for F1’s popularity and marketing profile.
Ben Sulayem explained that his aspiration is to have a complete team representing the United States of America from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Additionally, he expressed his desire to witness the presence of an OEM from China.
Everyone has the right to possess aspirations, and these aspirations can indeed be realized. Consider the fact that China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has over 50% of its vehicles being electric. This demonstrates the reality of the situation and highlights the immense potential of this market.
Ben Sulayem thinks that adopting hybrid regulations for F1 starting in 2026, which will involve an equal distribution of power between traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) and electric power, is precisely the type of approach that could entice the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) he desires.
“The Chinese have a strong commitment to electric vehicles and hybrids,” he stated. “And let me tell you something: implementing the PU last year was the correct decision.”
“Do you honestly believe that Audi would have joined if we hadn’t done it? Their participation only occurred after the approval of the PU and all the teams had signed it.”
“We undertook this action with the intention of benefiting the sport, which ultimately led to favorable outcomes. Honda and Ford have become involved, while Porsche is currently deliberating their participation. It seems that there is a strong possibility of Porsche collaborating with Formula 1 in the near future. These developments have occurred for valid and beneficial reasons.”
Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner, Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Ford, the prominent American car manufacturer, has already formed a collaborative alliance with Red Bull to jointly develop the team’s upcoming engines starting in 2026. Similarly, GM has established a partnership between its Cadillac brand and the Andretti team, which aspires to join Formula 1 as a new participant.
China has not yet had any major involvement from one of its manufacturers in F1.
Liberty blessing
Ben Sulayem wants to attract big manufacturers, but current teams and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali are skeptical about the advantages of increasing the number of cars in the grid.
Ben Sulayem believes that the FIA has a responsibility to attract the maximum number of teams permitted by the regulations. He is of the opinion that F1 owner Liberty Media and its president Greg Maffei share his perspective.
“I was pleased to witness the announcement made by Liberty Media expressing their approval for the formation of another team,” he stated. “Our obligation is to thoroughly examine and conduct all necessary inquiries.”
Ben Sulayem is referring to the statements made by Maffei during his appearance on the Walker Webcast in June.
Maffei expressed his belief that under the appropriate conditions, efforts would be made to include an additional team, the 11th one.
“I cannot reword”
Maffei did mention, though, that there were difficulties arising from insufficient parking availability at certain tracks, along with potential financial consequences for the existing teams.
“I cannot reword”
The additional problem is that the profits allocated to the teams are being divided among the 10 teams, and they are not particularly excited about dividing it into 11 portions.
Leave a Reply