Latest news with #ZhouGuanyu
Newsweek
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
FIA Open To Adding 12th F1 Team As Target Nation Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Formula 1 may end up expanding the grid to 12 teams as the sport grows both commercially and competitively. Cadillac is entering the sport in 2026, marking the return of a all-American racing team. The following team might be a Chinese racing outfit - expanding the foothold within one of F1's most untapped markets. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem addressed the potential arrival of another team to the grid in a recent media session. Zhou Guanyu of China and Ferrari walks in the paddock during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 4, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom. Zhou Guanyu of China and Ferrari walks in the paddock during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 4, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom. Photo by"I still feel we need more teams than races," Ben Sulayem told a group of reporters. "The drivers are coming to me and saying, 'Please, no more races.' "When we opened the Expression of Interest [in 2023], what was the outcome based on? Due process, competency framework, and without looking at which company it was, as long as it fulfilled the requirements of the FIA. "We have an 11th team. I believe we should look into the performance of the 11th team, and then, if there is a Chinese [bid], and I will speak on behalf of FOM now in front of you, they will agree to that, because it is about sustaining the business." Cadillac F1 is entering the sport as the 11th team on the grid, marking the first time that the grid has expanded in years. The expansion offers two additional race seats for drivers to compete and an extra competitor to break through in the racing series. Several factors make joining the grid easier than ever, particularly since the introduction of the cost cap. The bigger, more famous teams are no longer allowed to spend large amounts of money. All of the teams are on a level playing field. Ben Sulayem stated that another team won't be added for the sake of it, but instead, the racing series is open to hearing out a proposal. "If there is a team from China, let's say, and FOM approved it, and I am 100 per cent they will approve it, wouldn't it make more money with China coming in? I believe, yes," he said. "Do we have to fill up [the grid] with a 12th team for the sake of filling up [the grid] with a 12th team? No. It will be the right team. "The time will come when we feel it right to open an Expression of Interest. We are not here to upset the other teams, but it won't be just for the sake of doing it. It has to be worth it. "For us, the [12th] team has to add value to sustaining the business of Formula 1, and the business of Formula 1 is not about the income, it's about the longevity of the championship itself." More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Times
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Mohammed Ben Sulayem: We've spoken with China about new F1 team
The FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem says he has held talks with a Chinese manufacturer over a potential 12th Formula 1 team. Ben Sulayem has visited China and would like the biggest automotive region in the world to be represented on the Formula 1 grid. The sport does have a Chinese driver in Zhou Guanyu, who is a reserve for Ferrari, while the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai is contracted to remain on the calendar until at least 2030. Asked if there had been an approach from the Chinese, Ben Sulayem replied: 'Talks. I still feel that we need more teams [rather] than more races. If there is a Chinese [bid] I will speak on behalf of FOM [Formula One Management] now, in front of you, they will agree on that because it is good for business. 'Think of the long term. If there is another team from China, they [will] approve it, 100 per cent they will approve it. Wouldn't it make more money with China coming in? I believe [so], yes. Do we have to fill up another 12th team for the sake of filling up that 12th team? No, it will be the right team.' As of yet, there is no official bid for the FIA, world motorsport's governing body, or FOM to consider. A consortium of North American investors, advised by Otmar Szafnauer, the former Alpine team principal, are also interested in forming a 12th team, although the best option may well be to buy an existing one. Some teams are already complaining of the impact Cadillac's entry will have on their income next season, with the American team taking some of their staff members. In March, Cadillac were officially approved for their entry in 2026. 'I am here as a sportsman and I'd like to keep the spirit of the sport,' Ben Sulayem said. 'Of course, they will have to say, 'Oh, it's a piece of cake, and now it's been divided into 11.' Yes, I see the point. But the revenue is getting bigger.' Ben Sulayem was as bullish as ever, speaking 48 hours after Tim Mayer officially announced his intention to run against him in December's FIA presidential election. Mayer, the 59-year-old former FIA steward, accused Ben Sulayem of overseeing a 'reign of terror' since taking charge in December 2021. 'I feel for people [who] say this,' Ben Sulayem said. 'They are disconnected from the FIA. He has worked as a steward. A steward doesn't mean you're an insider of the FIA, as a steward you're not staff. The FIA has a different way of working. 'The FIA works for the members and to promote the sport, they don't work as before just for the promoter. If we want to grow motorsport we have to go back to the members and listen to them and see what they want. We'll have to listen to them, they're the ones that make the FIA, they're the biggest and strongest body. 'If I go and defend myself… I have other things to do. I am really busy. I am not going to fall into this way of campaigning where I answer someone. He is free to say whatever he wants. We say in our culture in Arabic: '[The] tongue has no bones.'' Ben Sulayem also suggested that any criticism of him on issues such as his swearing ban, which he later softened, and his lack of transparency was manufactured by the media. Drivers, including George Russell and Carlos Sainz Jr, have criticised Ben Sulayem but the president insisted they could call him with any issues and that his public perception would not affect the election. 'I know how strong your media is in the UK, you can bring a prime minister down twice a year, down in his cabinet, but you don't have that effect on the FIA,' he said. 'Honest to God, I'm [saying] it humbly. You don't even have an effect any more on the members. 'Let's see, they will get me out, then? They have the power to get me out. It's about the members. And when I see this, smiling [at him]. Maybe they're smiling truly or not, but it's their decision.' Elsewhere, the Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed that talks took place at the weekend with Flavio Briatore, Alpine's executive adviser, over bringing the Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas to the team. He could replace Franco Colapinto, who had another poor race weekend, crashing in qualifying before a gearbox issue prevented him starting Sunday's British Grand Prix.
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Zhou hopes to get back into F1 race seat with Cadillac in 2026
SHANGHAI, March 20 (Reuters) - China's first and only Formula One driver Zhou Guanyu said ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix on Thursday that he hoped to get back into a race seat with Cadillac when it joins the grid in 2026, adding that churn in the driver market made F1 a "brutal sport." A General Motors-backed Cadillac entry will become the championship's 11th team next year after securing formal approval from the sport's commercial rights holders and governing FIA earlier this month. Ferrari's reserve driver told reporters ahead of his home race: "I'm first of all very happy that a new team is joining F1... as it's a pity there's no seat available to me... the addition of a new team means there will be two new seats to compete for. "I will definitely wait for any opportunities," the former Sauber driver told reporters in his native Mandarin Chinese. "There are many new players, and F1 is a very brutal sport. If you don't show your skills and mental toughness within a short period of time, it's easy to be eliminated," the Shanghai-born driver added. Having a Chinese driver back on the grid would be a boon for F1 and its owner Liberty Media, who see the world's second-largest country as a key market. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has said in the past that China could ultimately host two races. Cadillac have appointed Briton Graeme Lowdown to lead the team but the Chinese driver said the fact a member of his management team was taking the reins of the new outfit did not mean he was guaranteed a drive. "I'm really happy, of course, that Graeme is the principal of Cadillac, but that doesn't mean I'm definitely linked with the team because, at the end of the day, the overall decision is taken by different people," Zhou later told reporters in English. "I'm just doing my thing with Ferrari and trying to focus on the job here and when there's a chance I'm always going to be fully committed to it," he added.
South China Morning Post
20-03-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
F1 growth boosted by China, nearly 90 million more views that last year, research shows
Formula One added nearly 90 million new fans last year, with China showing the biggest percentage rise following the sport's post-Covid-19 return to Shanghai, according to data released by Nielsen Sports on Wednesday. Advertisement China was on the calendar last year for the first time since 2019 and the circuit hosts the second round of the 2025 season this weekend, although there is no longer a Chinese driver on the grid. Zhou Guanyu is now Ferrari reserve, after losing his race seat at Sauber. Nielsen put Formula One's global fandom at 826.5 million, 12 per cent more than in 2023, with a 39 per cent increase in fans following in China over the last 12 months. The United States, a key growth market with three grands prix, showed a 10.5 per cent expansion. Canada (+31.5 per cent), Argentina and Saudi Arabia (both +25.5 per cent) were also strong. Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Chinese Grand Prix in 2024. Photo: Reuters The Argentine figures reflect the effect of Franco Colapinto last year becoming the country's first driver on the grid since 2001 when he replaced dropped American Logan Sargeant at Williams.
Reuters
19-03-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
Formula One fan growth continues, boosted by China
LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) - Formula One added nearly 90 million new fans last year, with China showing the biggest percentage rise following the sport's post-COVID return to Shanghai, according to data released by Nielsen Sports on Wednesday. China was on the calendar last year for the first time since 2019 and the circuit hosts the second round of the 2025 season this weekend, although there is no longer a Chinese driver on the grid. Zhou Guanyu is now Ferrari reserve, after losing his race seat at Sauber. Nielsen put Formula One's global fandom at 826.5 million, 12% more than in 2023, with a 39% increase in fans following in China over the last 12 months. The United States, a key growth market with three grands prix, showed a 10.5% expansion. Canada (+31.5%), Argentina and Saudi Arabia (both +25.5%) were also strong. The Argentine figures reflect the effect of Franco Colapinto last year becoming the country's first driver on the grid since 2001 when he replaced dropped American Logan Sargeant at Williams. Colapinto, 21, is now a reserve at Renault-owned Alpine and tipped to take a race seat there with Australian rookie Jack Doohan's place seen at risk. The 2025 season, the sport's 75th, has already got off to a strong start with the official total estimated attendance at the opening Australian Grand Prix put at a record 465,498. That total is more than 13,000 higher than 2024 and the race in Melbourne also drew a bigger TV audience than the previous year, with Nielsen reporting a 22% increase. Cumulative TV viewership was up more than 10% in 2024 for the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. U.S. broadcaster ESPN reported its largest Australian GP audience on record last weekend with an average 1.1 million viewers. Nielsen said Formula One's digital footprint continued to expand, with YouTube highlights drawing an additional 233.0 million views. "Formula One's growth reflects its growing global appeal," said Nielsen Sports' global general manager Jon Stainer. "With a more competitive season in 2024 and key markets like the U.S., China, and Brazil experiencing year-over-year fan growth, F1 continues to strengthen its position as a truly global sport." Last year saw McLaren replace Red Bull as constructor's champions, although Red Bull's Max Verstappen won his fourth title in a row, and seven drivers from four teams winning races. This season started with McLaren's Lando Norris ending Verstappen's run of more than 1,000 days as championship leader by winning in Australia.
