Chinese automakers aim for the top of F1: NIO takes the plunge, Geely paves the way, and will BYD have the last laugh?

Will a racing car from China appear on the F1 track?

According to Bloomberg, Chinese automaker BYD is internally evaluating the feasibility of entering top - level racing events, including the world's most prestigious auto race - the F1 Formula One and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(Source: Bloomberg)

Although the news has not been officially confirmed and BYD has not responded yet, this news has excited many car enthusiasts and consumers.

It should be noted that in the more than 70 years since the establishment of F1, no Chinese automaker has ever participated. It seems that this is a motorsport exclusive to European and American capital. With the growing strength of China's automotive industry, it is only reasonable for a Chinese racing car to appear on the F1 track.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)

As one of the world's most - watched annual sports events, F1 holds 24 Grand Prix every year, with a global audience of over 1.5 billion, and has a very wide influence. For automakers, it is like a "billboard" with huge global traffic.

Whether it is brand exposure, technical endorsement, or capturing the minds of users, the communication effect brought by F1 is incomparable to ordinary advertising campaigns. The global live - broadcast of a race, post - race reviews, driver - related topics, and event peripherals will continue to generate buzz for a long time, creating multi - level and three - dimensional brand memories. For Chinese automakers striving for globalization, such a stage is both scarce and precious.

However, appearing on the F1 track comes at a very high cost. The annual operating cost of an F1 team is nearly $500 million, not including daily team training, racing car maintenance, and driver salaries. F1 is also considered one of the most money - consuming sports in the world. Many automakers are not unwilling to enter, but rather cannot afford the cost and the waiting time.

Given the high cost, why does BYD still have the idea of entering the F1 event?

BYD's overseas high - end strategy needs racing to "tell a story"

Rather than seeing BYD's attempt to enter the F1 event as an ambitious move, it is more like "telling a story" for the high - end development of its brand.

BYD overtook Tesla last year to become the world's top - selling electric vehicle brand, and its automobile export market has expanded to Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America and other regions. BYD's global development has been growing, and its sales have reached a world - class level. However, BYD's global brand recognition mainly remains at the "cost - effectiveness" stage.

(Source: BYD official website)

There are many BYD models on the streets of Europe, and most passers - by know that BYD is a Chinese automaker. The brand is often associated with keywords such as "high cost - effectiveness" and "affordable". To be honest, at least for now, most overseas users do not associate words like "premium" and "cutting - edge technology" with BYD.

This is the thorny problem BYD faces in the overseas market - although sales have increased, it is difficult to increase brand premium.

(Source: BYD official website)

BYD has realized this and has started to "tell a story" about brand high - end development. Its high - end brand Yangwang took the all - electric sports car Yangwang U9 to the German ATP track for testing and achieved a top speed of 496.22 km/h. Although this result is quite impressive, it seems that it has not significantly changed the impression of BYD's brand among foreign consumers.

No matter how strong Yangwang is, it is only a sub - brand and cannot directly and comprehensively drive the image upgrade of the main brand.

(Source: Yangwang official website)

However, it's different on the F1 track. With an audience of 1.5 billion, as long as the racing car performs outstandingly, it can arouse the curiosity and attention of global audiences, thereby enhancing the brand's popularity and status.

F1 is not just about speed; it represents the pinnacle of the automotive industry: aerodynamics, powertrain, thermal efficiency, materials science, electronic control systems, tire technology, intelligent strategies, team cooperation, etc. All the most advanced technologies are pushed to the limit on the F1 track.

For BYD, which has technical confidence, the "money - consuming" F1 track is actually the fastest tool to enhance brand status and global popularity. Mercedes, Honda, and Renault are all successful examples of using track glory to enhance brand value.

The entry threshold for F1 is high, but BYD has options

If BYD really wants to enter the F1 track, what ways are there?

First is to build its own team. The Cadillac F1 team took more than two years from application to participation in the 2026 season. During this period, it had to go through the approval of the FIA, face the resistance of existing teams, and deal with the redistribution of commercial rights.

Here, let's explain why new F1 teams are resisted by existing teams. The F1 prize pool is fixed. If a new team joins, it means that each existing team will receive less prize money, which is not what existing teams want to see. Moreover, F1 teams are scarce and highly valued. If the number of teams keeps increasing, it will affect the value of existing teams. That is, the more teams there are, the lower the transfer price of a team will be.

Therefore, if BYD wants to enter the F1 track by building its own team, the difficulty will be unpredictable. It will not only face financial pressure but also have to deal with multiple games at the levels of rules, interests, and politics.

Source: Yangwang official website

Another way to enter the F1 track is to buy an existing team, which is the most convenient and fastest way to enter. Audi obtained its F1 entry ticket by acquiring the Swiss Sauber team. Currently, the Alpine team and the Aston Martin team are considering selling their team shares. This may be a suitable opportunity for BYD.

Although the acquisition also costs a huge amount of money, it can save several years of waiting and games, and directly obtain the right to participate, an existing team, infrastructure, and a foundation of race points. It is a more cost - effective path.

Of course, if BYD just wants to make an appearance in a world - class event and not focus solely on F1, participating in the FIA World Endurance Championship is also a good choice. Toyota has significantly enhanced its global technical image by participating in the World Endurance Championship for many years.

Compared with the F1 event, the World Endurance Championship is more friendly to hybrid models, and its top - level HyperCar category is highly compatible with BYD's hybrid technology route. BYD has been deeply involved in new energy technology, especially hybrid technology, for many years and has a profound understanding of high - thermal - efficiency engines, high - power motors, energy management, and hybrid strategies. Participating in events like the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans may be more suitable for BYD.

Perhaps the World Endurance Championship is a better starting point for BYD to compete in global top - level auto events. Proving itself on a more friendly and technology - compatible track, accumulating experience, building a team, and establishing a good reputation, and then deciding whether to aim for F1 depending on the situation is a more stable and practical path.

NIO and Geely took the lead, and BYD is expected to follow

BYD is not the first Chinese brand to attempt to participate in global top - level auto events. Before this, NIO and Geely have both been involved in top - level motorsports.

In 2015, NIO brought its first all - electric super - car EP9 to the first Formula E track and won the driver's championship, which was a highlight moment for the NIO brand and even China's automotive industry. Unfortunately, as an emerging auto event, Formula E has limited global influence, making it difficult to leave a deep impression on the audience and unable to achieve the same communication effect as F1.

Formula E is more like a trial for electrification and not a real top - level stage that can change the brand landscape.

(Source: NIO official website)

Although Geely's Cyan Racing team has achieved good results in international touring car races, in the eyes of foreign audiences, these excellent results are always mixed with European genes and cannot well represent the real level of China's automotive industry. Therefore, it has not been able to make a big splash on the international racing stage.

You may wonder if the experiences of NIO and Geely in international top - level events are like pouring cold water on BYD's attempt to "take the stage"?

Actually, on the contrary, the paths taken by NIO and Geely are more like paving the way and accumulating experience for later - comers. Moreover, the era environment, industry landscape, and event rules that BYD is facing have changed greatly. It can be said that it is the best time for Chinese automakers to compete in top - level motorsports. In fact, the current F1 track needs a Chinese automaker more than ever.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem publicly stated last year that after the Cadillac team joins, a Chinese automaker will be the "next logical step" for F1.

From the rule changes for the 2026 F1 season, it seems that F1 is also welcoming BYD - changing the hybrid architecture ratio to 50:50 for fuel and electricity, tripling the power of the MGU - K motor, reducing the power of the internal combustion engine, and quadrupling the kinetic energy recovery per lap. All the new event rules are tilted towards electrification, which just aligns with BYD's hybrid technology.

To put it simply, it will not be a surprise to see a Chinese automaker as the next team on the F1 track.

Whether BYD will finally enter the F1 event, when it will make an official announcement, and in what form it will participate still need time to tell. However, it is certain that China's automotive industry has reached a stage where it needs to prove itself on the top - level racing track.

This article is from "Electric Vehicle News", and is published by 36Kr with authorization.