Powerhouse Chinese car brand 'exploring' bid to become 12th F1 team

The start of the Australian Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News

Powerhouse Chinese car brand 'exploring' bid to become 12th F1 team

Cadillac became team number 11, will BYD become 12?

By Sam Cook.

Thursday 12 March 2026 19:00

F1 has just got an 11th team, and number 12 may not be far away with major interest from China in joining the grid.

Cadillac joined for the 2026 season, taking the number of drivers on the grid up to 22, with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas being signed as their two drivers.

This year marks the first time since 2016 that we have seen more than 10 teams on the F1 grid, and there has not been 12 teams in the sport since 2012. But with interest in the sport booming (thanks, Drive to Survive) it may not end there.

However, Bloomberg are now reporting that Chinese car giant BYD are planning a bid to enter either F1 or the World Endurance Championship (WEC), as they seek to create a racing operation.

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BYD has seen a huge amount of success in the past few years, becoming the top seller of electric vehicles (EVs) globally in 2025, overtaking Tesla.

With F1 moving more to electrical power within their power units, now could be the time for EV specialists to join the sport, and the above publication suggest that BYD are looking to expand having seen great success outside of their home country in recent years.

How difficult is it for car brands to enter F1?

Cadillac had to hire 550 staff members across a single year to even be able to get themselves into a position to compete at last weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, their debut in the sport.

On top of this, they had to appease both Formula One Management (FOM) and the FIA, proving that they are going to bring value to the series.

Andretti's initial bid was accepted by the FIA but rejected by FOM, and it took two American car giants in Cadillac and General Motors to join the bid to eventually get it through.

Therefore, it's thought that any potential BYD bid would be subject to a lot of scrutiny from the current teams, as well as the two governing bodies.

F1 Cadillac