Szafnauer would still consider 12th F1 team bid
Otmar Szafnauer says he would still launch a 12th Formula 1 team if the FIA expands the grid beyond Cadillac, with junior-series outfit Van Amersfoort Racing and Chinese carmaker BYD both in the conversation as potential vehicles.
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."
Could Van Amersfoort jump from F2 to F1?
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."
F1's 12th-team push beyond Cadillac
Cadillac became Formula 1's eleventh team in 2026 after a long-running tussle with Liberty Media-own Formula One Management.
Related: Andretti Cadillac boosts F1 grid as 12th team looms
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Time will tell.