Mohammed ben Sulayem opened the door for an 11th team to join the Formula 1 grid as he announced a new process for prospective entrants.
F1 is in a very healthy place right now, having captured a huge new audience – thanks, in part at least, to the success of the Drive to Survive Netflix documentary. Worldwide interest in the sport has grown and tickets for race weekends are regularly selling out.
Naturally, there are plenty of people with cash to burn who are hoping to take advantage of the boom. Several have, in recent months, voiced their ambition to create a new team to join the 10 currently competing in the sport.
Resistance to that idea has been rather strong among those current teams. But this new announcement from the FIA president is a significant hint that F1 might be warming to the idea of allowing at least one new team to join in with the fun.
Ben Sulayem made the announcement in a social media post on Tuesday evening. He wrote: "I have asked my @FIA team to look at launching an Expressions of Interest process for prospective new teams for the FIA @F1 World Championship."
The process will allow those who want to launch a new team to pitch their idea to the FIA. F1's governing body will then compare the merits of those proposals against their own guidelines and requirements for competitors to decide whether they believe a proposed team is a viable option.
This development will be good news for those who have already declared their interest in entering the sport. The most vocal has been Michael Andretti, whose company Andretti Autosport already competes in several series including IndyCar, NASCAR and Formula E.
So confident are the Americans in their plans, ground has already been broken on their massive new £166 facility under construction in Fishers, Indiana. Despite Andretti's long-standing interest, a targeted entry date of 2024 feels a touch ambitious – but this step from the FIA may open the door.
Also interested in launching a new team is Hong Kong billionaire Calvin Lo. Speaking to Mirror Sport in early December, he said: "I think we are still in early stages, relatively speaking, but definitely exploring and punching numbers right now."
