Why the FIA is already talking about F1’s next team expansion

Formula 1’s next expansion discussion is already on the table, but the message from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is that the bar will be high. The Race reports that he is open to the championship adding a 12th team to the grid, while stressing that any candidate would have to join on Formula 1’s terms and make a “serious offer.”

That detail matters because it shows the governing body is not treating expansion as a symbolic gesture. A 12th team would affect the commercial model, the distribution of resources, and the competitive structure of the grid. So when the FIA president talks about openness, he is also talking about conditions. The source specifically frames this around the idea of a Chinese manufacturer, but the principle is broader: F1 is willing to discuss growth, provided the entrant is credible enough to justify its place.

The wording is also revealing about how F1 wants future entrants to be judged. “Serious offer” is not a casual invitation; it suggests any prospective team must be able to demonstrate more than enthusiasm or marketing value. The Race’s report indicates the bar is set by the championship itself, not by outside pressure, and that any new name on the grid would need to meet the sport’s commercial and strategic expectations before being welcomed in. In that sense, the FIA is not just talking about adding another car; it is talking about the standards required to earn access to the field.

For existing teams, that matters because a 12th entrant would inevitably feed into the economics of the paddock. More teams would mean fresh claims on resources and a bigger debate about how the sport’s commercial model absorbs another entry. The FIA president’s language suggests that expansion is possible, but only if it strengthens the championship rather than testing it. That is a clear signal to manufacturers considering the jump into Formula 1: the door may be open, but only a proposal that looks robust on the sport’s own terms will get through it.