Formula 1 may be actively looking to attract new manufacturers, but for now, China is not ready to join the grid. In an interview with SoyMotor during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li and Special Advisor Alfredo Altavilla made it clear that the Chinese automotive giant has no concrete plans to enter Formula 1 at this stage.
Over recent months, BYD has frequently been mentioned as a potential future Formula 1 manufacturer. The company’s rapid international expansion, the launch of high-performance brands such as Denza and Yangwang, and Formula 1’s interest in welcoming additional manufacturers naturally fueled speculation. The reality, however, appears to be far more cautious.
Rather than issuing a definitive rejection, BYD has outlined a clear industrial philosophy regarding any possible Formula 1 involvement.
No interest in Formula 1 purely for marketing purposes
Alfredo Altavilla explained that the company has no intention of joining the championship simply for brand exposure.
“We have not taken part in the discussions regarding the new 2030 regulations. Andrea Stella has been very clear: we will only consider Formula 1 if our technology can benefit from it. We will never enter the championship just to put a sticker on the side of a Formula 1 car. There are much better ways to invest that money.”
His comments reveal a great deal about BYD’s long-term strategy. Any involvement in Formula 1 would need to generate tangible technological benefits, creating knowledge and innovation that could eventually be transferred to the company’s production road cars.
Altavilla also left the door open to a future partnership.
“If we can find a way to become a technological partner of Formula 1, then we could be interested. That is the fundamental requirement. We will see how the regulations evolve.”
Those remarks shift the discussion away from marketing and towards engineering. For BYD, Formula 1 would only make sense as a research and development platform rather than simply serving as a global promotional stage.
The key question is Formula 1’s post-2030 regulations
It is no coincidence that these comments come while Formula 1 continues debating the technical direction it will take beyond the current regulatory cycle.
In recent months, discussions have intensified over the possibility of introducing naturally aspirated V8 engines powered by sustainable fuels from 2030 onward. Several key figures within Formula 1 believe such a solution could reduce costs and technical complexity while still supporting the sport’s sustainability objectives. That uncertainty makes it extremely difficult to predict whether BYD could eventually become part of the championship.
The Chinese manufacturer has built its global success on electrification, developing technologies such as its Blade Battery and highly efficient plug-in hybrid systems entirely in-house. If Formula 1 continues to serve as a technological laboratory capable of producing innovations that can be transferred to production vehicles, BYD’s interest could become genuine. If, however, the championship chooses a technical direction that does not align with the company’s industrial strategy, a Formula 1 programme would lose much of its value.
Stella Li echoed that position, although with a lighter tone. When asked whether BYD had a Formula 1 project, she first joked by pointing at Altavilla and describing Formula 1 as “his dream,” before making the company’s position perfectly clear.
“No, there is no project. The dream may exist, but today we have no concrete plan.”
For now, therefore, the rumours linking BYD with a possible role as Formula 1’s twelfth team remain exactly that—rumours. The Chinese manufacturer is closely monitoring the evolution of the championship, but it has no intention of making a move that does not fit perfectly with its long-term technological strategy.
As for Formula 1, it must first decide what technical identity it wants to embrace for the next decade. Only then will it become clear whether the paths of the world’s premier motorsport series and China’s automotive giant are truly destined to cross.
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