FIA president “went through hell” when he opened the door to 11th F1 team
2023 started off in dramatic fashion with Ben Sulayem posting a tweet stating that he would look to expand the F1 grid.
The move was met with a raft of criticism, particularly from F1 and the teams, who insisted there’s no need for an 11th team to potentially “dilute” the sport.
While the general stance from F1 has remained the same, the FIA still accepted Andretti’s bid to become the 11th team in 2025 or 2026.
However, they are still waiting on getting the green light from Liberty Media and the team from a commercial perspective.
Speaking to the media in Austin, Ben Sulayem claimed he was “attacked” and “abused” - but didn’t mention who was responsible.
“I went through hell,” he said. “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 61-year-old still is unsure why he was criticised for opening the doors for an Andretti entry.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know. Just because I opened an expression of interest," he added.
“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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