Panthera Team Asia co-founder and team principal Benjamin Durand has confirmed that the team has registered with the FIA’s new expression of interest process for newcomers to Formula 1. In January of this year, Benjamin Durand announced his interest in bringing Panthera Team Asia into F1. “We see the Asian and Chinese markets as the next developing markets,” he said.
“They’re all looking west, none of them looking east. F1 is now concentrated in the US, which makes sense because the US is growing, but that Asia and Africa will be the next big markets for F1, especially while Zhou is in the championship, once the market is there. We might have given up, but we believe in it.” Currently, Pantera Team Asia F1 is in the process of registering for a new Expression of Interest process, which states, “We will have more news soon. I’m looking forward to it,” he admits. F1 owner Liberty Media has said it would welcome applications from new teams to join the grid from 2025 at the earliest. General Motors, which wants to team up with Cadillac and Andretti in the future, says they have had to adapt in the past to news regarding expressed interest projects, adding: They are very hardworking, transparent and fair.” GM and Andretti’s deep racing competencies will form a truly American team that will inspire enthusiasm for F1 racing around the world. Panthera Team Asia’s expression of interest means that there are at least two parties interested in joining the F1 grid. Panthera Team Asia, which is aiming to form an Asian F1 team, might be an option for Honda, which has no supply team despite registering as an F1 engine manufacturer for 2026. There is
