F1 has made Andretti jump through hoops of fire and eventually reject their proposal to join the sport. However, that has not stopped the American outfit from pursuing their ambition of joining the F1 grid. Despite the explicit rejection from the Formula One Management (FOM) in January 2024, Andretti have carried on with its work of setting up its F1 bases in the US and the UK. Lately, they opened up a base in Silverstone that will have about 120 people working. Besides, they have also put out 60 job openings for their F1 operation. Now, to further their discussion with F1 teams and the FOM, Andretti will be meeting them at the upcoming Miami GP to convince them of their entry into the sport.
According to SoyMotor, Michael Andretti will meet all of the F1 team managers during the first weekend of May when the circus visits Miami. Previously, Andretti has only had one meeting with the F1 stakeholders. Michael’s father, Mario Andretti, shed some light on the same, citing the need for more discussions to provide clarity on their F1 plans.
“We have only had one meeting with them, that is a problem. We have not talked enough and that is why I welcome our next meeting. Let’s sit together. We have to look forward, not back. I remain hopeful, because we never stop work towards this objective. It has become clear that our work is underway, we are not just talking”, the 1978 F1 champion said.
Andretti has been quite vocal on the undertone of FOM’s rejection of their entry proposal to the sport. He deems the reasons for rejection to be mainly “financial”. Rumors previously suggested a dilution of the existing teams’ prize money may happen, if Andretti joins as an 11th team.
FOM cited that Andretti may not be ready to compete in the increasingly competitive state of F1 currently. However, Mario Andretti claimed that they are committed to performing well. He also cited that their partnership with General Motors’ Cadillac is a big indicator of their commitment to perform well.
The Andretti contingent would put all their arguments during the Miami GP weekend to convince the FOM and the teams. It is a crucial meeting for the American team’s ambition of joining the sport by 2026 or whenever F1 deems it fit.
What are FOM and F1 teams’ objections against Andretti?
The FOM gave a very detailed and explicit statement of reasons for rejecting Andretti’s bid to join F1. Despite Andretti having the FIA’s approval to join the sport as an 11th team, the FOM did not deem the American outfit could add any value to F1.
On the back of having several bad experiences of having new team entities in the sport, the FOM perhaps doesn’t want to break the status quo this time around. Back in the 2010s, there was an influx of new teams like HRT, US F1, Lotus, and Virgin.
These teams became perennial backmarkers and eventually bowed out of the sport in a few years. However, Andretti is a big name in the motorsport world. Both Mario and Michael Andretti have raced in F1, with the former being a world champion as well in 1978.
Besides, their team competes in several motorsport series such as IndyCar, Supercars, IMSA, and Extreme E. While F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport that requires a full-scale commitment in terms of technical development capacity and financial backing, Andretti claims they fulfill these requirements.
This is the bone of contention that the FOM and Andretti are not able to sort out. The FOM also reasoned that the American team don’t have a power unit manufacturer onboard for its immediate bid to join in 2025 or 2026.
The GM Cadillac engine program is supposed to be ready for F1 by 2028. F1 stakeholders mentioned in January that they would consider a 2028 entry for Andretti-Cadillac differently. For now, Andretti have to negotiate their way onto the 2026 grid, if not next year.
