A 12th F1 team after Cadillac? Why not, says FIA president

DUBAI : Formula One could expand to 12 teams now that General Motors' brand Cadillac has been accepted as the 11th from 2026, according to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Formula One has always had provision for 12 in the rules but there was strong opposition from commercial rights holder Liberty Media and existing teams to going beyond 10 before a deal was reached.

"Why not?," Ben Sulayem told Reuters at Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix when asked if he would like to see the final slot filled.

"It's about doing the right thing. So why do we have an option of 12 if we are going to say no, no, no?

"With me it is very clear it is a win for everyone with the 11th team."

Cadillac last week announced an agreement in principle with Formula One while General Motors registered with the governing FIA as a power unit manufacturer to become a full works outfit by the end of the decade.

Formula One had said in January it doubted the bid, originally presented as Andretti, would be competitive or add value but relented after the original approach was re-positioned as a manufacturer-led one and Michael Andretti stepped back.

An investigation opened by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee into possible "anticompetitive conduct" also changed the landscape.

Ben Sulayem hailed the agreement as very important for the sport and said he had been "sent to hell" and back after the FIA approved the Andretti bid last year and passed it on to Formula One for consideration.

U.S. PROBE

Ben Sulayem said the U.S. inquiry into the sport had an effect on the outcome.

"I had a meeting with them and I was questioned. I have nothing to hide. I'm an elected president, you know ... based on governance and democracy and transparency. So we did what the