FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem wants more teams and fewer races as he ramps pressure on F1
Governing body the FIA has alread꧒y given Andretti’s bid to become F1’s 11th team its blessing, but the matter has now been passed on to FOM ꦑfor final approval.
F1 and the ܫexisting teams’ current stance on the prospect of Andretti joining the grid has been lukewarm at best.
"Saying no to a team which has been approved ꧙by the FIA, it’s very hard to say no," Ben Sulayem told .
"The FIA should be asking, begging, OEMs to come in. We should not just say no𓄧 to them.
"If you say: 'What is my dream?' It is to fill up the 12 [team slots] and to have one US team from an OEM and a [power unit] and a driver from there. And then go to China maybe and ask for the same thing an🐼d do it.”
B꧃en Sulayem rejected suggestions that it would be better for Andretti-Cadillac to buy an existing team, something Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had previously said.
"You cannot force Andretti/GM to buy another team ju𝓀st because [the current owners may] want to sell,” he said.
"I won't mention names, but they were after me to go on and convince GM to do that. It's not my job. I ꧅was not elected to do that. I am not a ওbroker.”
According to Ben 🅰S𝓀ulayem, F1 should have more teams and fewer races.
"We are allowed to have 12 teams [in the rules]. Some of the teams said 'Oh, it will be crowded'. Really? We are already running a Hollywood team with ꦦus," he said in reference to the Brad Pitt F1 movie which has been filmed at some races this season.
"The circuits are supposed to have enough garages ಞand space for 12 teams. I think the number of races is too much [rather] than the number of teams. We need more teams and fewer races.
"The teams are looking at t🐎he piece of cake. I understand their worries… but our worries are different.”
Ben Sulayem also moved to dismiss the notion of a power struggle betw�💛�een F1 and the FIA.
"We are not a service provider," he added. "We own the championship. We le🍨ased it - we are the landlord. So that has to be ♎respected also.
"My intention wa༺s never to embarrass or to put someone in a corner, [F1 owners] Liberty or FOM [Formula 1 Management]. I am here for the spirit of the spo♓rt."
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