BYD examining F1 entry as Chinese giant eyes motorsport
Mar.11 (GMM) Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is examining options to enter Formula 1 or endurance racing, Bloomberg has reported, in a development that would add further momentum to the sport’s expansion just as its 11th team, Cadillac, begins its debut season.
BYD is “looking at several options following its rapid growth outside its home market and competitive racing’s continuing shift toward hybrid engines,” Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named.
No official comment has yet emerged from the company. “So far, no spokesperson for BYD Auto Company Limited has officially commented on the speculation,” Germany’s Bild reported.
The timing is notable. Formula 1’s 2026 regulations – however controversial among drivers – have succeeded in attracting Audi and Cadillac to the grid, with Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley making precisely that point in Melbourne last weekend.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has made no secret of his ambition to add a Chinese manufacturer, telling French outlet Le Figaro: “It’s been my dream for the last two years that the big countries should have a presence in F1.
“The United States will be with General Motors. The next step is to welcome a Chinese manufacturer. We already have a driver,” he added, referring to Cadillac reserve Guanyu Zhou.
Options under consideration at BYD reportedly include both building a team from scratch and acquiring one of the existing eleven. Either path would be expensive – Cadillac paid an anti-dilution fee of around $450 million to the existing teams just to join the grid this year – and the process of entering F1 is lengthy and complex.
The most recent Concorde Agreement, running to 2030, does leave room for a 12th team, however.
BYD recently overtook Tesla as the world’s leading provider of electric vehicles and has been aggressively expanding in Europe, Latin America and other key automotive markets.
As Bild noted, Chinese manufacturers have so far shown only sporadic interest in motorsport – Geely competes in international touring car racing and Nio won the inaugural Formula E drivers’ title in 2015.
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