Mohammed Ben Sulayem has spearheaded a sort of revolution ever since he took charge of the FIA as its president. Although many of his moves have faced staunch criticism — for example, his bid to get an 11th team on the grid —, he’s adamant that he will continue to shape the sport the way he pleases.
The last two years have seen Ben Sulayem try to get an Andretti-backed Cadillac on the grid. This has been met by fierce resistance from the existing 10 Constructors’ on the grid who did not want their financial rewards to be diluted by another entity. In the end, however, Cadillac has been announced as the 11th entry from 2026 onwards.
That said, Ben Sulayem is now proclaiming that a 12th team on the F1 grid might also be a possibility. “Will we have a 12th [team]? If the right team comes, the FIA will open the expression of interest,” he said as quoted on X (formerly Twitter) by Soy Motor.
¿Doce equipos en la Fórmula 1?
️ Ben Sulayem deja la puerta abierta al “equipo adecuado.”
️ “No le tengo miedo a nadie.”#F1 #FIA pic.twitter.com/s2ky35Awce
— SoyMotor.com (@SoyMotor) February 9, 2025
The governing body’s president did shed light on the backlash he received when he was pushing for Cadillac to join the grid. However, highlighting the FIA regulations for having up to 12 teams he said, “We [the FIA] are not afraid of anyone.”
And this is not the only issue that Sulayem has faced immense criticism for. A short while ago, he seemed to have caught flak for imposing stringent fines and penalties for drivers who swear or criticize the FIA in the 2025 season and beyond. Naturally, his latest statement regarding the composition of the grid might also cause a furor.
Ben Sulayem threatens radio clampdown in F1
At the start of the year, the FIA introduced a new mandate for stewards imposing fines on F1 drivers. Under Article 12 of the International Sporting Code, stewards can now impose hefty financial and sporting penalties on drivers who swear — which is defined as misconduct under the rules.
The biggest penalty that a driver can face for repeated swearing is a whopping fine of $125,000, a one-month race ban, and a deduction of their championship points. This has not gone down well with the drivers who are reportedly very disappointed with the FIA’s decision.
Ben Sulayem has also hinted toward a clampdown on radio communications. Naturally, many fans have also called out the governing body for their strict diktats. Many paddock insiders also believe that once the season begins it could cause rising tensions between the drivers and the FIA.
Per the Grand Prix Driver’s Association’s (GPDA’s) chairman Alexander Wurz, their biggest complaint is that the drivers were not even consulted before this regulation change. However, Ben Sulayem hit back at these comments by saying that it was the moral responsibility of the drivers to have discipline and be role models for the audience.
