Michael Andretti criticizes all F1 teams as he claims they think his squad is ‘a bunch of hillibillies’

Michael Andretti just shot his arrow at the team bosses who have made him feel unwelcome as he is planning to introduce his own team into F1.

Michael Andretti criticizes all F1 teams as he claims they think his squad is ‘a bunch of hillibillies’

The F1 circus is all-set to get a new member amongst them as Andretti Autosport are getting ready for their debut in the premiere class of racing. Michael Andretti, the former F1 racer and the sole brain behind the new F1 team has heard a lot of criticism from the Bosses of the other teams who are against the entry of a twenty-first squad. Despite all the setbacks, Andretti Autosport have gotten the greenlight from the FIA and are hoping to enter into the sport in 2025.

While the FIA want Andretti Autosport in F1, they still have to get a clearance on the commercial terms from the Formula One Management. This might be a big hurdle or the American team as there is an ongoing concern that adding an extra team would reduce the prize money that the existing teams get from the franchise as of now. But Michael Andretti has stayed affixed to his stand that including a new team in F1 will only increase the diversity and improve the sport.

YouTube video

At one of his YouTube interviews for Bloomberg Originals, Michael Andretti commented on how he feels his initiative to start a new F1 team has been unwelcome.

FS Video
They think that we're a bunch of hillbillies over here. And we don't know what we're doing. [But] because we have a lot of experience in racing, we might come at it from a different angle than everybody else, and it might work.

Michael Andretti admits he never thought getting his team into F1 would be ‘this hard’

Even before the talks of Andretti Autosport getting their own F1 team arose, Michael Andretti was spotted socializing with the different team bosses at the races. But he has now claimed that through those interactions, he sensed that a new team is unwelcome because of the politics at play in the highest league of motorsports.

Michael Andretti (via Motorsport.com)
We have got to realise what we're getting into. We're getting into a lot of politics and things like that. It's just the way it is. And we'll just deal with it. I didn't think it would be this hard to get in.
Michael Andretti said, as quoted by Autosport.com.

There has been a lot of buzz around the Andretti F1 team and Michael Andretti just confirmed that he wants to live up to the hype. He described his vision for a ‘true American team’ and even teased that he would have an American driver recruited under Andretti Autosport too. This made the racing veteran reckon that his team would create a lot of interest for F1 amongst the Americans.