Toto Wolff and Christian Horner both have frustrations with the anti-dilution fee (Image: Getty)
president is open to adding a 12th team onto the F1 grid, despite team principals and raising concerns about the anti-dilution fee that new entrants must pay.
Despite the complaints of several F1 teams and the initial rejection of the project under its Andretti guise, Cadillac secured the green light to join the grid for the 2026 season late last year.
Now, FIA chief Ben Sulayem has opened the door for another new squad. “We are very aware that there was a big attack on me last year because of the 11th team,” Ben Sulayem said. “Do we have it now? We have an 11th team. Was it needed to go through all that mess to have this? I think no.
“There was clear regulations we have – we are allowed to have 12 [teams]. Are we going to have 12? If the right team comes, the FIA will open the expression of interest. We are not afraid of anyone.”
In 2026, Cadillac will become the 11th organisation in the sport, although that title came at a significant cost. Under the terms of the current Concorde Agreement – the contract signed by all F1 teams and the commercial rightsholders – there is room for 12 teams in the sport.
However, prospective entrants must pay a significant fee to compensate existing organisations for the loss of prize money. Cadillac’s fee was an eye-watering £360million ($450m).
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Mohammed Ben Sulayem is open to having a 12th team in F1 (Image: Getty)
This fee has been a significant source of contention for the 10 teams on the 2024 grid. New challengers mean that the prize pot is split between more hands, thus affecting the bottom lines of the competition. The emergence of a 12th team would mean even more jeopardy.
Horner and Wolff have both been vocal about their financial frustrations. “When you look at it in the first instance, we lose out,” The boss told Auto Motor und Sport. “We don’t know what Cadillac will invest in Formula One. The compensation fee, which is currently set at $450 million, is too low. It does not make up for the direct loss in income.”
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Offering his thoughts on the Cadillac-General Motors entry, Horner told Sky Sports F1: “And like with all these things, it comes down to the finances and how it’s going to be funded and how it’s going to be paid. As long as, logistically, they can be accommodated, we have absolutely no problem with seeing GM come here – but we’re not paying for it.
“We’ve got no issue with them coming. We welcome them with open arms, but you don’t want to see the prize fund diluted. It will be that question of, whose side of the cake does it come out of?”