At the heart of Formula 1, a rift emerges between the sport’s governing body and its commercial stewards. As teams and drivers geared up for the 2024 season opener in Bahrain, the spotlight wasn’t just on the track. The grueling 24-race calendar has drawn criticism from top figures like Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, spotlighting the growing tensions within the sport’s hierarchy.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, voiced a perspective that struck at the core of this debate during an interaction with Speed Week at the Geneva Motor Show. “I have always said that I am convinced that we should have more teams rather than more races,” he stated, positioning himself at odds with Liberty Media, the custodians of F1’s commercial interests. This stance not only challenges the current race-heavy calendar but also underscores the friction over Andretti-Cadillac’s stalled entry into the sport, blocked until at least 2028.
Ben Sulayem’s advocacy for Andretti’s inclusion as the eleventh team by 2025 highlighted a broader vision for F1’s future, emphasizing the sport’s expansion through new teams and manufacturers, notably from the United States and potentially China. His remarks reflect a desire to diversify the grid, enhancing the sport’s global appeal and competitive landscape.
The discussion around Andretti’s bid and the broader implications for F1’s expansion brought Stefano Domenicali, Liberty Media’s F1 CEO, into the conversation. Domenicali pointed to the Concorde Agreements as a framework for introducing new teams, indicating a complex negotiation process between the sporting and commercial sides of F1. “This is joint work that must be carried out between the FIA and FOM with regard to the different types of evaluation that we must carry out,” Domenicali noted, acknowledging the procedural respect given to Andretti’s application while hinting at future discussions on the sport’s structure and team composition.
