Ex-F1 team boss claims Andretti won’t make it to Formula One
Andretti F1 have been focused on their Formula One entry in 2025 or 2026 for years as they partner with Cadillac for the project.
Michael Andretti (via IMAGO)
Andretti has long had a standing bid to join the pinnacle of motorsport, Michael Andretti‘s proposed team has obtained approval from the FIA. The all-American team was granted access to F1. However, the final green signal is still pending from Liberty Media and FOM.
Former Minardi team boss Paul Stoddart was not optimistic about Andretti’s chances of getting the final thumbs up, though. Stoddart believes that the existing teams will not agree to grant access to an 11th team to share the prize money. This is further hampered by the recent lack of unanimity within the teams, taking Carlos Sainz’s Las Vegas penalty as an example.
Not everyone will agree to an 11th team, simple as that. Look at Las Vegas, unanimity was required there to waive penalties for Ferrari and Carlos Sainz, but that unanimity didn't come. So I don't see Andretti happening. It is unfortunate, because it would allow F1 to welcome two new drivers, and besides that, Andretti is really just a quality organisation.Paul Stoddart wrote in an exclusive with racingnews365
Andretti did manage to get Cadillac’s complete cooperation as they partner with General Motors, with GM planning a power-unit manufacturing project by 2028. Andretti-Cadillc’s bid for an F1 entry has been opposed by quite a few teams already, the frontrunners in particular.
McLaren team principal Zak Brown backs Andretti F1 bid
Andretti’s ambitious Formula One project does not have the complete support of the F1 grid. This has been peeved by the necessity to share their prize money with another entrant on the grid. Support has been rare to find for the American team’s bid to join F1. As most teams have an opposing stance toward Andretti-Cadillc.
However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has pointed out the possible benefits of Andretti’s entry. Zak Brown alluded to the annual prize money as a pie that had to be shared between the teams. Brown said Andretti could help make it bigger through sponsors and television revenue. The McLaren boss reckoned that most team principals are apprehensive of the flip side of it. As if the pie remains the same size, but now has to be shared between 11 teams instead of 10.
The benefits are that they can help grow the pie. That pie could be primarily fans, that could be television revenue, that could be increased visibility in a particular market that helps bring in more sponsors or excitement at the track. The downside is if the pie doesn’t get bigger, then you’re just dividing the same big pie, and that’s where the majority of teams don’t agree.Zak Brown said on the Track Limits podcast (H&T:PlanetF1)
McLaren finished fourth in the 2023 Constructors’ Standings. The Woking-based team will take home a decent amount of prize money themselves after a difficult start to the season. McLaren will be looking to improve their record with race wins in 2024, after achieving a victory at the Qatar sprint race with Oscar Piastri this year.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)