F1 News: FIA President Was “Attacked” And “Abused” After Welcoming 11th Team To Formula One

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke of being "attacked" and "abused" for opening the expressions of interest to welcome an 11th F1 team. He revealed of going through "hell" early this year in an attempt to have an additional F1 team on the grid.

The 2023 season kicked off with a bang after Ben Sulayem posted a Tweet saying that he was looking to expand the Formula 1 grid. But, his expression was met with heavy criticism from Formula 1 and the team bosses who stressed that there was no need for an 11th team.

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Despite the protests, the FIA approved Andretti Cadillac's bid to enter the sport from 2025 or 2026. However, the new team still has to go through checks from Formula One Management and the team bosses to ensure it adds value to the sport.

Ben Sulayem revealed in Austin the challenges and the ordeal he had to go through to include a new team. However, he didn't mention names while describing his plight. He told speedcafe.com:

“I went through hell.

"I’m asking myself, ‘What did I do to deserve all of this attack in February and March? They attacked me, the day I opened the expression of interest.

"Even when my son died, they attacked me, abused me, just to break me, just because I opened for the whole world to enter. It was unnecessary, counterproductive, not good for business.

"They can say whatever they want. At the end of the day, I was elected to take care of the sport.

"Nothing goes into my pocket. We don’t have shareholders, we don’t have a board of directors to share the money, so my mission is different than theirs. That’s very clear.”

The Concorde Agreement states that F1 can have up to 12 teams on the grid. Still unsure as to why there was so much opposition to opening the doors to Andretti, the 61-year-old FIA president said:

“I don’t know, I really don’t know. Just because I opened an expression of interest.

"We have a contract [the Concorde Agreement] for 12 [teams]. To have 12 and say ‘No, you are not allowed’… I am here for motorsport, the spirit of the sport.

"They look at the money as a piece of cake and they will share it.”

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When asked if 'they' were greedy, Ben Sulayem responded:

“You said it.

"I don’t want to speak that financial language, ‘Oh, let’s make more money, let’s make more money’. I want to speak about the sustainability of the sport and the business.

"There are 12 teams [allowed]. Yes, I will say it again, if there is another reliable, worthy team, I will open the expression of interest again for it. This is what will happen.”