April 28, 2026 – During the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, Li Ke, the Executive Vice President of BYD, confirmed in a media interview that the company is in discussions with Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Formula 1, about entering the F1 arena, and described the move as “practical and feasible.”
Li Ke also revealed that BYD is considering various cooperation models, including forming its own F1 team, becoming a power unit supplier, or acting as a race sponsor.
If the plan comes to fruition, BYD will become the first Chinese automaker in the history of F1.
It was first reported by Bloomberg in March that BYD was considering entering F1. The company was said to be giving priority to entering the sport by acquiring an existing team, with Alpine, which has announced its withdrawal from the World Endurance Championship after the 2026 season, being seen as a potential target for acquisition.
According to reports, BYD’s consideration of entering F1 at this time is closely related to the technical regulations changes for the 2026 season. These new regulations represent the most significant rule changes in F1 in nearly 40 years: the proportion of electrical power output in the power unit will soar from about 20% to 50%, the power of the MGU-K motor will increase from 120kW to 350kW, the MGU-H thermal energy recovery system will be eliminated, and the use of 100% sustainable fuels will be mandatory.
Under these new regulations, F1 is shifting from being “internal combustion engine-dominated” to a “half-oil, half-electric” model. Battery, motor, and electronic control technologies are precisely the core strengths of BYD.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has also publicly welcomed Chinese automakers to join the sport. Currently, all 10 F1 teams are controlled by European and American capital. As the world’s largest automotive market, China has yet to have a local team participate in the highest level of formula racing.
However, the threshold for entering F1 is not low. Operating an F1 team requires an annual investment of several hundred million US dollars, and the initial investment may exceed 1 billion US dollars. But for BYD, funding is not the biggest obstacle. The real challenges lie in accumulating racing engineering talent and gaining event operation experience.
F1 attracts an annual audience of over 1.5 billion people. If BYD’s hybrid technology can be validated on the track, it will provide a huge boost to the brand’s international image and serve as a strong technical endorsement for its products.
