China could have its own Formula 1 team soon, says FIA President

After GM and Andretti Global entered Formula 1 with their Cadillac brand as the 11th team, FIA President Ben Sulayem says China could have the potential 12th F1 team very soon. Formula 1 is expanding rapidly across the globe, capturing many markets. Last year, General Motors said they would be entering Formula 1 as the 11th team in Cadillac F1. Initially, many F1 teams were against the 11th team in F1 but finally agreed after General Motors took a more direct role and came up with their name instead of Andretti Global. 

During that time FIA president Ben Sulayem spoke about the possibility of a 12th F1 team. The FIA President said his long-term vision of F1 is having many teams competing like NASCAR and 24h LeMans races. He also feels it diversifies the sport into new emerging markets like Asia. Europe is the biggest market for Formula 1 and if they expand to Asia and the Americas, which have more population, it will be a great advantage for the future of the sport.

Now, he has turned his head towards the Chinese market, as he feels there is a lot of potential and very soon there could be a 12th Formula 1 team based out of China. The Asian country is a global powerhouse and the global leader in manufacturing. They are also the world's largest car market, especially with electric vehicles. China already has a Formula 1 driver, Zhou Guanyu, with a huge fan base in his home country. Ben Sulayem feels increasing the number of teams will be more beneficial than increasing the number of races.

'It's been my dream'—Ben Sulayem.

He said, “20 races were enough, and from the outset, I've thought that we need fewer grand prix, but more teams. That's why we brought in General Motors with Cadillac.”He added, “A lot of people were against it, but I think it's a good decision for the sport. It's been my dream for the last two years that the big countries should have a presence in Formula 1. The United States will be with General Motors. The next step is to welcome a Chinese manufacturer. We already have a driver (Zhou Guanyu).”

Cadillac will enter F1 in the 2026 season with their car and engine supplied by Ferrari. They will start producing their engines by 2029 and from the 2031 season, they will come with their own engine made in America. Let us see which Chinese car brand shows interest in entering Formula 1 in the future. 

Also Read: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc releases his own music album ahead of the F1 75 event.