FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is now advising Andretti-Cadillac to buy a Formula 1 team because there are no real 'Americans' in the sport.
Formula 1 already has an American team. Namely Kevin Magnussen's employer Haas F1.
But Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the international motorsport organization, does not see reality that way. He tells this in an interview with Reuters .
– I have no doubt that FOM (Formula One Management) and Liberty Media (who sit on the commercial rights to the sport, ed.) would like to see more teams, as long as they are car manufacturers.
Still, there is a disagreement between the FIA and the FOM. The former approved Andretti-Cadillac's Formula 1 application already last year. But so far FOM will not be involved.
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However, there is a possibility that Andretti, with Cadillac's support, can apply for a starting position on the grid again ahead of the 2028 season. And here, according to Ben Sulayem, there is an obvious opportunity. Namely that Cadillac buys its way to power in another team.
The FIA president would also like to see 'some real Americans' enter Formula 1, as he explains it to Reuters.
– Without naming names, there are teams that are struggling. Struggling with performance and even struggling to manage it all.
– It's about having the right team, and not losing a chance or the opportunity for someone like General Motors to take an engine into Formula 1.
– Imagine the effect of that. We have three lobes in America. We have a huge fan base. But we don't have a real American Formula 1 team.
– I am happy to have Ford with me. But try to imagine having GM with you and having American cars, says Ben Sulayem.
Unless it is an oversight, the FIA president is thus saying that Logan Sargeant, who was both born and raised in the USA, is not a true American.
Conversely, the FIA president himself is under accusation of wanting to interfere in far too much of Formula 1. Among other things, he is currently being investigated for having tried to erase a penalty that Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso received during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2023.
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