Ben Sulayem cashes in: “Cadillac? Now everyone is happy, before nobody wanted them. And the 12th team…”
The dispute between FIA and Formula 1
After months of heated back-and-forth, the FIA and Formula 1 have finally set aside their differences following the approval of Cadillac’s entry into the championship. The American manufacturer will make its debut on the Formula 1 grid in 2026. However, new doubts are already emerging that the debate between the two governing bodies of the sport could reopen soon, with discussions now surfacing around the possibility of admitting a twelfth team. In theory, the entry of another outfit is provided for by the sporting regulations. Yet while Stefano Domenicali has recently reiterated that he does not believe there is space for an additional team due to logistical reasons, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – whose current mandate expires in December but can be renewed in the next elections – has made clear that he does not want to close any doors.
Ben Sulayem teases Domenicali
In a long interview given to the Swedish newspaper Expressen during his visit to Stockholm for an event organised as part of the United Against Online Abuse initiative, aimed at tackling online hate speech, Ben Sulayem highlighted the success of his work in bringing Cadillac into Formula 1: “I dedicated two years of my life to promoting the entry of an eleventh team, but I was attacked for it, even on the same day my son died. Why did they do this to me? Because they didn’t want me to open a call for expressions of interest. They did not care. Some didn’t want another team, but now they all congratulate each other saying ‘look at what we achieved’… No, you didn’t do it, you were against it! You were all against it.”
“It was the FIA that made it happen,” he added, “and I had to take all the criticism. Would I be willing to go through it again? Yes, if it were for a good cause. My dear Stefano (Domenicali) belongs to the commercial side, while I belong to the sporting side. He is the CEO of a company, and I understand that he must think about the financial aspects and that having more teams means more people sharing the same pie. But do we need another team? No, but we do need the right team! It is not about quantity, it is about quality. That would make things very interesting. Why was Cadillac the right choice? Because they followed the process correctly. They were not chosen only for the brand or the name.”
“The FIA examined everything and they met all the requirements. We only select the best,” concluded president Ben Sulayem.
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