The 12th team looking to join F1’s grid from 2027

After a short, three-year stint in the sport from 2012 to 2014, Caterham F1 is setting itself up for a return thanks to Saad Kassis-Mohamed, a 24-year-old Kuwaiti entrepreneur and Board Director of the investment company SKM Capital. 

"F1 now operates with clearer financial guardrails and stable technical frameworks, making the category investable,” said Kassis-Mohamed in an interview with Sportstar. “We like the intersection of elite engineering, a global platform, and predictable cost governance.”

The company is looking to launch a team under the name SKM Racing out of an already established technical center in Silverstone, England and a racing department out of Munich, Germany. Once the project has been established, they intend to enter the F1 Championship in 2027 as SKM Racing with Caterham.

Caterham was a carefully selected partner for the project. The sportscar manufacturer already has history in F1, having participated for a three-year stint between 2012 and 2014. While they failed to score any points in this period, they did have several notable names on their driver roster, including Heikki Kovalainen, Kamui Kobayashi, and current IndyCar driver Marcus Ericsson. 

"Caterham has strong recall and no current grid presence,” said Kassis-Mohamed. “A brand licence shortens the marketing ramp without reviving the defunct corporate entity or its liabilities.”

But the path to F1 entry is not an easy one, as we saw from Cadillac. And on this, Kassis-Mohamed further commented, "We respect the thresholds set by FIA/ F1. Our plan involves two options: a change of control transaction in an existing entrant or applying in the next FIA process as a compact, well-funded customer team with long-term PU supply."

If SKM racing intends to become a customer team, likely potential power unit suppliers are limited. Audi and the Red Bull Powertrains will still be in the beginning stages of their operation, leaving Ferrari, Honda and Mercedes–which will already supply nearly half the 2026 grid–as the most likely options. 

Yet despite the obstacles in their path, Kassis-Mohamed and SKM Racing are determined to enter the field and bring Caterham back to F1 along with them. And in this, they will put their determination, innovation, and unwavering passion for racing to the test.

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Cover image by Sam Bloxham/LAT Photographic, via Caterham F1 on Flickr. No changes were made to the original image. This use does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the photographer. Used under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

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