Otmar Szafnauer: 'I want to be prepared to be the successful bidder': Otmar Szafnauer targets heading 12th Formula 1 team amidst Cadillac's entry momentum
Formula 1
veteran
Otmar Szafnauer
is already in the process of making a 12th team a reality in the F1 paddock after General Motors-backed Cadillac received the go-ahead to join the grid in 2026.
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With almost three decades of experience in more than one F1 team, the American motorsport strategist feels the time to create a serious bid has come.
Otmar Szafnauer feels Formula 1 is ready for a 12th team
Former F1 Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer in conversation with Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer
Otmar Szafnauer, former Team Principal at Alpine and Aston Martin, is a long-time believer in expanding the Formula 1 grid to 12 teams—and he is determined to be the main actor in making that vision a reality. Leveraging the recent inclusion of Cadillac as the 11th team for 2026, Szafnauer believes that there is a clear path for a suitably prepared and experienced squad to enter the championship.
'In my 28 years, there was a time where we had 12 teams in F1,' Otmar Szafnauer said in an Axios and The Race-hosted discussion. 'And prior to me joining – I signed my contract [with BAR] in '97 and joined in '98 – there were even more, when they used to have pre-qualifying. So I think there's room for a 12th team. And if a 12th team does happen, I want to be prepared, in order to be the successful bidder for the 12th team. So that's what I've been working on.'
The announcement comes while the FIA and Liberty Media have indicated a willingness to entertain new entrants, subject to them living up to the sporting, financial, and technical high standards required of Formula 1 today.
Citing Mercedes-AMG's Toto Wolff, Otmar Szafnauer feels that team principals who marry technical knowledge with business sense add a strategic dimension.
'If you can do both, and Toto can, I think you gain efficiencies,' he said.
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'You don't have to rely on somebody else. You lead the team yourself in both the commercial aspect as well as the technology aspect, and both are important these days. So yeah, you definitely gain efficiencies, and if you're owner/manager, you have a bit of skin in the game. Although there's huge passion in F1, there's just a little bit more.'
This combined leadership approach is the foundation of Szafnauer's presentation, especially with the increasing commercial sophistication of Formula 1 and shrinking performance margins.
With a career that features top jobs at BAR, Racing Point, Aston Martin, and Alpine, he believes that his blend of technical know-how and management skills particularly suits him to head a new operation.
Also read:
Otmar Szafnauer's desire to return to the Formula 1 grid as head of a 12th team marks a new and ambitious chapter in his illustrious career. As the sport grows its international reach and technical regulations come under review, Szafnauer is positioning himself as an able architect of a next-generation F1 team—that has competitive zeal combined with business solidity.
Whether his bid is accepted or not, his aggressive approach sends a signal of increasing hunger for growth in the world's most premier motorsport series.
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