Mohammed Ben Sulayem goes against F1 CEO, admits FIA will accept legitimate 11th team entry

Mohammed Ben Sulayem affirmed that the FIA will accept an 11th F1 entry despite Stefano Domenicali's desire to stick to 10 teams.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem goes against F1 CEO, admits FIA will accept legitimate 11th team entry

Mohammed Ben Sulayem (image via Motorsport.com) Stefano Domenicali (image via GPFans)

Formula 1 is a multi-billion dollar sport that has grown in popularity recently. The sport has seen interest from new teams to join the grid in the last few months. However, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has stated that the sport is not looking for teams and is happy with the current 20 car-grid. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has now come out supporting an 11th team in F1.

The 61-year-old admitted that new proposals had been made for another team on the grid. The Andretti-Cadillac bid is perhaps the most recognizable name in this affair. However, Michael Andretti‘s proposal has failed to win over F1 and its current teams. Ben Sulayem mentioned that discussions are taking place between the FIA and F1 over accepting a new entry. He said, “We have been working with FOM and with Stefano Domenicali.”

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Though, the FIA President made it clear that the sports governing body will accept an entry that meets the criteria to join the sport. Mohammed insisted that it would be against the rules for the FIA to turn down a legitimate team proposal even if that is met with backlash from F1. The 61-year-old stated, “I mean, there are still regulations there and we cannot shut the application down and say no.”

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Ben Sulayem clarified that it is not possible for the FIA to reject applications if they meet all the requirements set by the sport. This comes as a direct contradiction to the words of F1 CEO Stefano Domencali who insisted on keeping F1 restricted to the current 10 teams.

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Mohammed Ben Sulayem insists FIA will not break the rules

Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali (image via PlanetF1)
Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali (image via PlanetF1)

The Emirati believed that F1 and its current teams would understand the situation the FIA is in regarding this subject. The sports governing body will be required to let another team enter the grid as per the criteria, even if F1 or its teams oppose its entry. The 61-year-old clarified that the FIA would abide by its duties. He said, “One thing that I will not do is break the rules.”

Mohammed mentioned that allowing for more teams and manufacturers would make F1 more accessible. The FIA President was convinced that this prevented the restriction of the pinnacle of motorsport to the top teams. The arrival of Audi and Ford into the sport is a sign of the sport’s success in this regard. Albeit both the carmakers are either taking over or partnering with existing teams. Ben Sulayem believed that this could help reduce the costs in F1 as well.

Thus, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has affirmed that the FIA will be ready to accept new team entries in F1. The sport might be satisfied with the current grid and hope to increase the value of the present teams. However, the sports governing body will not refuse any new team proposal if it meets the criteria. It remains to be seen if Stefano Domenicali will contradict the FIA President in the coming weeks.

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