FIA and F1 continue to disagree over 11th team negotiations

Despite Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the FIA, expressing his clear enthusiasm for an 11th team entering the sport in 2025, Liberty Media and F1 are still not in favor of it.

(Motorsports news) Given that the Concorde Agreement only permits up to 12 teams, Ben Sulayem said that the FIA was required to start an entry procedure. He asserted that by doing so, he was abiding with the regulations. The governing board is still considering the applications that the possible newcomers have submitted.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has consistently emphasized that an 11th competitor must provide value to the sport. This stance is shared by team principals throughout the paddock and is supported by Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media. In a conference call with Wall Street analysts, Maffei stated, “I think there’s little difference between Stefano’s and my view, which is that we have 10 terrific teams, and we’re really enthused about what they’re doing.

“A mechanism to add more teams existed, but the standard is very high. Furthermore, it’s not apparent what value an additional eleventh team would bring. Additionally, the other teams are quite unsure about an 11th team. “We have had fruitful discussions about all of this with the FIA. Do we always and completely agree? No, we talk about it and hopefully resolve the issue.

Insisting that the FIA and 11th team will finally come to an understanding, Domenicali hinted that a resolution would be forthcoming next month. “The FIA started the process, as is their possibility,” the Italian added. “We are anticipating the verdict. But as with every conversation, we’ll come to a consensus as a group because, as Maffei stated, the value of the teams and the company today is very, very strong.

I would predict that within the month of September, that decision and that information will arrive very, very soon. Domenicali added that preparations are already being made for discussions to begin on the new Concorde Agreement, which will begin in 2026. Since sports have such a strong momentum right now, I would argue that conversations are definitely moving forward. We’re not in a rush, of course. But I’d say that everything is pointing toward a successful outcome for these talks, with both the teams and the FIA.

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