It is common knowledge within the Formula 1 paddock that Andretti wants in, by hook or by crook. The American motoring giants had made that much clear when they agreed to part ways with a whopping $200,000,000 to appease other teams over fears of prize pool dilution. Now, after the FIA has given them the green light, Andretti is still tipped to fail as F1 prepares to reject their bid. In response, Andretti has threatened to sue. And while their lawyers would’ve been busy compiling the documentation, one of their own has thrown a spanner in the works with a sensational update on Twitter. That’s right, while Andretti prepares for an uphill legal battle against the sport, ex-F1 driver, Romain Grosjean, who has raced for Andretti in IndyCar for the last two seasons has slapped a lawsuit.
The exact specifics of what led to Grosjean dragging Andretti to Court is still unclear after his cryptic Tweet. That being said, throughout the 2023 IndyCar season there has been trouble brewing between the duo. It started when Michael Andretti publicly thrashed the Frenchman for his overzealous attitude. “He tends to push it when he doesn’t have the car. Instead of bringing it home 10th, he tries to push it to ninth and finishes 28th, and that’s been really frustrating on our side,” is how Andretti summed it up. It all culminated with news breaking out that Andretti had sacked Grosjean earlier last month.
Another Romain Grosjean late-race crash. Brutal #IndyCar 💢 #DetroitGP pic.twitter.com/OzECc12jpo
— Hickey (@Hickey93) June 4, 2023
Be that as it may, while Andretti Formula Racing struggles to get its feet through the doors at F1, Grosjean’s untimely and shocking move would have surely left the team scratching their heads about the way forward.
Romain Grosjean slams the final nail in the coffin for Andretti’s F1 future
Things seem to be going really downhill for Andretti’s F1 bid. With imminent rejection on the horizon, the last thing that the American racing goliaths would’ve wanted was an attack from the inside. But lo and behold, as they prepared to wage war against the sport, F1’s prodigal son returned to take revenge.
Grosjean tweeted, informing the world, “I had expected to continue racing with the fine people of Andretti Autosport in the coming years. I am disappointed that is not being fulfilled.” He continued, “I have commenced an arbitration proceeding in Indiana against Andretti Autosport, seeking to protect my rights.”
LIMITED STATEMENT OF ROMAIN GROSJEAN REGARDING ARBITRATION pic.twitter.com/BUkCwzZCPd
— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) October 4, 2023
There’s certainly trouble aboard the Andretti ship. But is this instability pushing the F1 teams to unanimously block their entry or is there a more profound reason?
The biggest problem with Andretti F1 bid explained
There has been a lot of back and forth with regard to the way the teams have treated Andretti’s interest in becoming the 11th team on the grid. But it all boils down to a singular aspect, and according to David Croft, you really can’t blame F1 for feeling so sourly about Andretti.
The British broadcasting veteran also believes that the $200,000,000 being flaunted by Andretti as compensation isn’t going to convince the teams as they know that the valuations have changed since the Concorde Agreement was last signed.
Nevertheless, Croft believes that the only way Andretti can breakthrough is if they can convince F1 that they won’t be disadvantaged. So, the two hundred million dollar question is, can they?
