FIA in Talks with BYD, Geely Over Joining as 12th F1 Team

On November 9 local time, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said at the Madrid New Economy Forum that the FIA has held talks with BYD and Geely about potentially becoming the 12th F1 team. Sulayem said he has met with manufacturers including BYD and Geely, and all of them expressed a desire to join. He stated that if Chinese automakers show sufficient interest, the FIA could launch another expression-of-interest process. Any interested Chinese manufacturer must first present a credible project. Sulayem revealed that he had proposed BYD acquire an existing team rather than build a new one from scratch. BYD rejected this approach during discussions, saying it preferred to operate independently. He emphasized that the technical framework would not be rewritten to accommodate a new Chinese team. Sulayem said that unlike Cadillac's entry in 2026, there is currently no formal process to expand the F1 grid again. F1 has expanded to 11 teams this season, with Cadillac joining and Audi entering through the acquisition of Sauber. He has repeatedly stated that if F1 expands the grid again, a Chinese manufacturer would be given priority. According to a separate report on November 9, Sulayem said in an interview that joining as the 12th team must be a move that brings real value to F1, both competitively and commercially. New entrants must prove they can compete at the highest level and contribute to the sport's long-term future. The decision on the 12th team must always be based on the quality of the proposal.