“Not smart to say that,” F1 boss Stefano Domenicali calls out Michael Andretti’s ‘F1 teams are greedy’ comment

When asked about the opposition to his team's F1 bid, Michael Andretti had put it down to greed. That has not gone down well with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“Not smart to say that,” F1 boss Stefano Domenicali calls out Michael Andretti’s ‘F1 teams are greedy’ comment

Stefano Domenicali (L) | Michael Andretti (R)

A Formula 1 entry is an extremely attractive prospect for a variety of different parties now. Many OEMs, such as General Motors (with Andretti), Ford, Porsche, and Audi (who have teamed up with Sauber) want a piece of the pie. F1 is in a very healthy place right now. Its popularity is booming in regions outside Europe, especially in the US, and the 2026 regulations are another reason for the interest shown. One thing is for certain: None of the interested parties are as loud as Andretti.

This isn’t necessarily a good thing and has even landed them a significant amount of criticism. Their bid to join the grid continues to face significant opposition – earlier it was reported by The Race that only Alpine would support their potential entry. That’s because, at least initially, they’re expected to use Renault engines before making the switch to a GM engine when it’s ready. One ‘senior team figure’ even branded the GM involvement a ‘badging exercise’, something Andretti have denied.

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Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula One Group and formerly Ferrari’s team principal, thought that Andretti could have conducted themselves in a better way. In an interview with Sky Sports, he said: “First of all, we are very welcoming of everyone that is bringing value to the racing. I think we need to respect everyone. There are teams like Mario and Michael Andretti being very vocal about their will to enter Formula 1. But in my view [it is] not smart to say that teams are greedy.”

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Read More: “Just make a decision,” Frustrated Karun Chandhok urges the FIA to resolve the Andretti F1 dilemma

Stefano Domenicali: No need to overreact because of Andretti ‘pushing the system’

Stefano Domenicali (L) | Michael Andretti (R)
Stefano Domenicali (L) | Michael Andretti (R)

Stefano Domenicali certainly did not like Michael Andretti’s comment. Of course, this does not mean that Domenicali is opposed to Andretti, or any potential 11th team entering Formula 1. He made it clear that if ‘all elements’ are present, then any party is more than welcome. But, he added: “There are a lot of dimensions to consider and we don’t have to overreact because someone is pushing the system.” and that the process will be done in the ‘right way’.

The Italian also says that he discussed their actions ‘very openly’, and told Andretti that he personally would have acted differently. When put to him about the prospect of a big American team ‘adding value’ to the sport, Domenicali said: “I would say we need to be prudent. It may seem this is a personal negative attack on Andretti but this is not the case. We need to be serious and professional in evaluating all the elements.”

Domenicali had said last year to Autosport that he does not see a ‘weakness’ in the current number of teams in Formula 1. So if the proposal does not align with their interests or add value to the sport, F1 is likely to turn down any candidates, no matter how vocal or how big. It’s nervous times for Andretti. There are rumors that the ‘entry fee’ set down in the Concorde Agreement may go from $200M to as much as $600M because F1’s value has increased. It’ll be interesting to see if the Americans can ‘crack the code’ and get the spot on the grid that they’ve chased for a long time.

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