FIA’s approval of Andretti Autosport’s bid to enter Formula 1 has been one of the major talking points in the grid, as the majority of the current teams are aging, allowing an 11th team’s entry. Michael Andretti’s team plans to enter the sport in 2026 with support from General Motors’ Cadillac.

The team welcomes GM’s entry to the sport, but they don’t want it to happen with Andretti on board. Now, according to the latest reports from APnews.com, F1 allegedly tried to persuade GM to ditch Andretti and join F1 with a current F1 team. Red Bull’s Christian Horner recently admitted wanting General Motors to enter F1 with their power units.

FIA President Ben Sulayem recently voiced his opinions over F1 driving away a manufacturer like GM, especially when F1 is experiencing a “popularity surge” in the USA. Sulayem commented on the opposition and claimed the backlash and pushback were motivated by just money.

It’s about the money. It’s only about the money…That’s what’s personal, they don’t want to share the money”

~Ben Sulayem told AP

Andretti Autorsport team was going to Renault’s power unit to F1 initially, but their partnership deal expired, and they haven’t signed an extension or new deal yet. This leaves them with no engine suppliers for the potential entry. They are also yet to get approval from Liberty Media’s side, and agreements around the entry fee as per the Concorde Agreement haven’t made progress as well.

Tensions rise between Andretti and F1 teams as Michael Andretti cites personal grudge

Michael Andretti, the owner of Andretti Autosport, claimed that this resistance had become “personal.” This prompted four team bosses, Toto Wolff, Zak Brown, Gunther Steiner, and Mike Krack, to be questioned on whether they held a grudge against the former Indycar driver Andretti.

Wolff, one of the most resistant to the Andretti bid, shut down any possibility of a grudge and had met 1978 World Champion Mario Andretti earlier this year in Mercedes hospitality. Brown and Krack said they held Michael Andretti in esteem, the latter having worked with Andretti in Formula E.

The reports also claim that F1 president Stefano Domenica, FOM, and commercial rights holder Liberty Media have “pretty much ghosted” Andretti after they got approval from the FIA, furthering tensions that could endanger Andretti Autosport’s F1 future.

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