Chargement ...

Szafnauer keeps door open to 12th F1 team bid

"The financial possibilities, the connections - it is all still there"

By GMM - 28 April 2026 - 11:31
Chargement ...

Fresh momentum behind a potential 12th Formula 1 team is gathering pace, with another familiar name now entering the frame.

Amid confirmed interest from Chinese carmaker BYD and the FIA’s desire to further expand the grid, Otmar Szafnauer says he would still consider launching a new entry.

"Should Formula 1 indeed want to admit a twelfth team, that is still something I would seriously consider," he told the Dutch magazine Formule 1.

"The financial possibilities, the connections - it is all still there," said the former Alpine and Aston Martin team boss. "So should the opportunity arise in the future, I will certainly look into a potential entry."

Szafnauer, now CEO and managing partner of the well-known junior series outfit Van Amersfoort Racing, has previously explored a bid with a consortium of investors.

That has raised the prospect of Van Amersfoort, which helped launch the career of Max Verstappen, stepping up to Formula 1 level.

Szafnauer did not dismiss the idea.

"Whether this team could then automatically become the twelfth F1 team? Who knows. Maybe," he said.

"At the moment, it is nothing more than something that might happen someday. But perhaps it isn’t Van Amersfoort Racing as such, perhaps another name.

"In any case, the one does not rule out the other."

Cadillac became Formula 1’s eleventh team in 2026 after a long-running tussle with Liberty Media-own Formula One Management.

Chargement ...

«2026 rules allowing more creativity than expected