F1 could expand to twelve teams in future

Dec.4 (GMM) Formula 1 could completely fill the grid will a twelfth team, according to more and more paddock whispers.

After the Andretti bid was initially approved by the FIA but rejected by F1 owner Liberty Media, the project rebranded as Cadillac and will be the eleventh team from 2026.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in Qatar last week: “He (F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali) said to me ‘We need a manufacturer, not just another team’. So they disappeared for a few months and came back with a manufacturer.

“Then they proposed (to make) a power unit. They ticked all the boxes and we couldn’t say no to them anymore.”

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly said of the approved Cadillac entry: “It’s going to be my first time to race with 22 cars. So, more rivals, probably more action, more racing. Exciting, exciting times.”

And, as the specialist German magazine Auto Motor und Sport reported a week ago, “The eleventh team could be followed by a twelfth in the next five years”.

“The regulations allow a maximum of 12 entries, and after the experience with Cadillac, Formula 1 does not want to rule out another applicant. Especially as it could be Toyota.”

F1 legend Mario Andretti, who will be on the Cadillac F1 board, has also heard the rumours about eleven teams in 2026 becoming twelve some time after that.

“Obviously, as an engine manufacturer, there is the option to supply other teams with engines,” the 1978 world champion, when talking about Cadillac and GM’s plans for works power units, told CBS Detroit. “It looks like the FIA might invite a twelfth team.

“So there will always be a need for engines,” Andretti added.

The FIA president is also a supporter of the idea of maxing out the allowed allocation of teams in Formula 1.

“Why not?” the French magazine Auto Hebdo quotes him as saying. “It’s about doing the right thing for Formula 1. So why do we have an option of 12 if we always have to say no, no, and no?

“For me, it is very clear that getting an eleventh team is a victory for everyone.”