FIA president wants F1 grid expansion: 'We accepted small teams like Haas'

Ben Sulayem kicked things off in 2023 with a tweet expressing his want to open up the “expressions of interest” process for aspiring F1 teams.

This soon led to Andretti-Cadillac announcing their intention to enter the sport in 2026 alongside American giants General Motors.

The FIA’s supportive stance is understood not to be in line with the teams.

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Only Alpine - who want to supply Andretti with engines - and McLaren - whose CEO Zak Brown has a close relationship with Michael Andretti - have publicly backed their bid to enter F1 previously.

Team bosses such as Toto Wolff voiced their concern about new outfits “diluting” the sport, referencing concerns about prize money.

Andretti aren’t the only group interested in joining F1, with Asian team Panthera also interested.

Speaking at a press conference at the Dakar Rally, Ben Sulayem said F1 should be open to at least two new teams, “even if they are small, as is the case with Haas”. 

“In general, if we look at the sustainability of F1, we have to open it up to other brands. We can have up to 12 teams on the grid,” said Ben Sulayem.

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“An OEM – manufacturer – will help make F1 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 eleventh team, we’ll see what happens.