As motor racing’s governing body continues its evaluation of potential new entries from 2025, Ben Sulayem says he thinks the arrival of manufacturers from the world’s two largest economies would be great for F1.
Speaking to Autosport sister site Motorsport-total.com, Ben Sulayem believed that car makers from the USA and China would deliver a huge uplift for F1’s popularity and marketing profile.
“My dream is a full United States of America team from an OEM and I would like to also see an OEM from China,” explained Ben Sulayem.
“Everybody is allowed to have a dream. But it is also achievable. You have 1.4 billion people in China, and over 50% of your vehicles on the road, electric vehicles, are Chinese. That's facts. It is a big market.”
Ben Sulayem believes that the choice of hybrid rules for F1 from 2026, which will have a 50/50 power split between ICE and electric power, is exactly the sort of formula that could help attract the OEMs he wants to see.
“The Chinese are serious when it comes to EV and hybrid,” he said. “And I tell you something: the PU last year was the right thing to do.
“If we didn't do it, do you really think Audi would have come and joined? That happened only after the PU was approved and all the teams signed it.
“We did it for the good of the sport. And it opened the door. Honda came, Ford joined, Porsche are deciding. I would say it is still warm with Porsche and Formula 1. All that happened for a good reason.”
Source: Autosport