Not for the first time, FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem appears to set himself on a collision course with F1 bosses as he talks of his dream of more teams and less races.

Already at loggerheads with F1 over his move to invite new teams to enter the sport, and particularly his support for Andretti, Ben Sulayem further antagonised them when he questioned the sport's $20bn valuation earlier this year.

Indeed, F1's general counsel, Sacha Woodward Hill, and Renee Wilm, the chief legal and administrative officer of Liberty Media subsequently wrote to the sport's governing body accusing it of overstepping the bounds of its remit and contractual rights, at which point Ben Sulayem launched the application process for prospective teams.

Having now rubber stamped Andretti's bid, which has not gone down well with the majority of the teams, the FIA president has appeared to set himself at loggerheads with F1 bosses with his call for less races and more teams, this at a time the sport is seeking to expand the calendar.

"Saying no to a team which has been approved by the FIA, it's very hard to say no," he told Reuters in reference to the Andretti bid.

"You can call me optimistic, I'm always optimistic. I think yes," he replied when asked if he think Andretti's bid will prove successful."

While F1 begins the process whereby a decision will be made about the new team, Ben Sulayem claims that since last week's announcement Liberty Media's share price has risen.

"The FIA should be asking, begging, OEMs to come in," he said. "We should not just say no to them.

"If you say what is my dream, it is to fill up the 12 slots and to have one US team from an OEM and a PU and a driver from there driving," he added, which pretty much aligns with the Andretti-Cadillac bid. "And then go to China maybe and ask for the same thing and do it."

Referring to the claim that Andretti should buy an existing team, he said: "You cannot force Andretti/GM to buy another team just because they want to sell.

"I won't mention names but they were after me to go on and convince GM to do that," he added. "It's not my job. I was not elected to do that. I am not a broker.

"We are allowed to have twelve teams. Some of the teams said 'Oh, it will be crowded'. Really? We are already running a Hollywood team with us," he said, referring to the Brad Pitt movie currently being filmed at certain events.

"The circuits are supposed to have enough garages and space for twelve teams," he added. "I think the number of races is too much rather than the number of teams. We need more teams and fewer races.

"The teams are looking at the piece of cake. I understand their worries, but our worries are different."

In terms of the obvious difference of opinion with F1 he said: "We are not a service provider. We own the championship. We leased it, we are the landlord. So that has to be respected.

"My intention was never to embarrass or to put someone in a corner, Liberty or FOM. I am here for the spirit of the sport."

Asked about the suggestion that Andretti could still enter F1 without a commercial agreement, he admitted: "We hope not. But it could happen. It can happen."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 15/10/2023 1:39

"I would be very happy with 20 GP's and 10 sprints wth 12 cars. New teams, new drivers and better competition should stimulate increased viewership...handled and promoted correctly. If some fail then so be it? There are more potential teams waiting in the background.The very best will still survive and fan interest is maintained and hopefully raised to new levels. Private investors in some teams are often guided by a 'hip pocket' mentality rather than collective wellbeing for the business/sport. Altruism is in short supply. "

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2. Posted by estoril85, 12/10/2023 23:51

"The rules provide for 12 teams, currently the 10 teams are operating at a bonus, the removal of a bonus is not grounds for compensation.

There are too many races, 16 is the optimum number for me, increase the hosting fee to reflect the exclusivity by all means but let's have some decent tracks.

The one thing diluting the championship is not Andretti global but probably at least 6 tracks that should not be on the calendar."

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3. Posted by trackrecords, 12/10/2023 11:37

"Consider the last influx of new teams - 'market forces' solved the question of their numbers one by one."

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4. Posted by RP, 12/10/2023 9:10

"The salary cap may have reduced expenditures for those teams with unlimited funds but has not completely eliminated hardship for all. It is common sense that adding teams without increasing the overall purse is going to make things more difficult for some. And, Sulayem says he wants "more teams and fewer races". It doesn't rake an accountant to suggest that fewer races means less revenue. It can result in less expense for a team but I don't see that as a guarantee. Is Liberty going to eat less revenue and thereby help the teams? I doubt that will happen."

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5. Posted by kenji, 11/10/2023 23:13

"I would back Sulayem all the way. Surely there can't be any ambiguity in the wording of all the agreements that would allow Liberty to have the final answer? I'm sure that any statement made by the FIA would have had extremely close legal scrutiny before publishing! I doubt that this issue will proceed to the courts as both sides will need to talk in depth but I do hope that the FIA are successful. More new drivers and more competition is what is needed IMO."

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6. Posted by Jingle, 11/10/2023 20:00

"Ben Sulayem is spot on with this. The FIA own the Championship and set the rules which state there is provision for 12 teams. So Liberty Media and the teams have no right to contest this decision. If the teams think they deserve more money then they should wait for the next Concorde Agreement and renegotiate with Liberty Media. "

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7. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 09/10/2023 20:28

"Have to agree with Sulayem on this. "

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More teams, less races, is Ben Sulayem's dream for F1

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