Andretti Global has comfortably crossed level 1 of the entrance process, receiving a green signal from the FIA. To further illustrate the point, Andretti is the only team to get a thumbs up out of the four candidates since none of the others met the entry criteria. So, how did the American team succeed? It was down to the actions of FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Given the tensions that the Andretti case has created between F1 and the FIA, the decision had to be made against giving them the green light at first; however, it was eventually accepted. By now, Andretti may look firm to enter F1, but there is still an uphill struggle to overcome, which is to receive consent from Liberty Media.
According to Green Notebooks, there is a strong suspicion that the sports owner may reject Andretti’s proposal. The line of rumors assumes it is FOM’s disbelief that the Andretti’s will bring much value to the sport, making it a chance the American will fail to get the green light to enter F1.
The whole story also comes after many F1 experts and the ones who are in the sports suggested Andretti is underestimating the difficulty of making it to F1. It’s exactly the same as Michael Andretti’s failed attempt to make it big at the pinnacle of motorsports 30 years ago.
Potential reasons for Liberty Media’s opposition to Andretti’s entry
The sports owners have worked hard to create Formula 1, a globally recognized sport. In the middle of this, the addition of an 11th team could heighten fans’ interest in the sport. Despite this fact, the Liberty media appears to be opposing the arrival of the 11th team into F1. It is because the FOM does not believe that adding Andretti to F1 will bring much value to the sport. Even if the stakeholders give authorization, it will not end well since some in the field argue that the Andretti are underestimating the challenge of racing in F1.
Given that Michael Andretti failed to build a name for himself in sports when he joined McLaren 30 years ago. Some in the industry believed that because he commuted to races and test sessions from the US rather than commuting full-time to Europe, his stint in F1 wasn’t really comfortable. Starting with crashes and collisions, Michael had to bid farewell to the sports in 1993.
Later, Mika Häkkinen, who replaced Andretti, attacked the American’s perspective, emphasizing his lack of understanding of the enormous sacrifices required for F1 success. All these factors might also play a crucial role in Liberty Media’s opposition to Andretti’s entry.
The Andretti did try to buy Sauber before the team’s petitions were accepted. However, their attempt to acquire the team was thwarted when the team’s owner, Fin Rausing, turned down the offer as the sale was to be done on some of Andretti’s terms. Later, when Sauber’s owner noticed the German behemoth (Audi) approaching, he was quick enough to make the deal.
Although the FIA could have averted the strange scenes that have now come to light had the FIA president not opened the entry process at the start of the year. It didn’t have to happen because the investors were still buying the teams. Given the implications of this, the FIA must approve Andretti”s application as they have met the conditions. However, the FIA can only blame itself because it started the procedure.
Exploration of Andretti’s ambitious move
The FIA began accepting new entrant applications at the beginning of this year. However, just one of four teams, Andretti’s, had their application approved. Though their nationality had a significant role, another thing that worked in their favor was the timing. Last December, the Americans began constructing their new global motorsports facility in Fishers, Indiana. Now, the fact that the development of the facility began before the applicant was accepted may have had a significant influence on Andretti’s proposal.
Michael Andretti’s bid to launch an F1 team will move to the final phase of the approval process.
Liberty Media will make the decision on the potential expansion — which will cost at least $200 million and could reach $600 million.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 2, 2023
Despite the fact that applications are being accepted, new teams will not be admitted until after 2026. Fortunately, a year prior, in 2025, Andretti Global will have its $200,000,000 global racing and technology facility. Later, the Rodin car team owner, David Dicker, cited Andretti’s move as a crucial element in their application being granted. Besides Dicker also stated that his application may have been rejected because he wanted to base his staff in New Zealand, whereas the American chose to work inside the existing structure.
In a nutshell, Andretti’s over-ambitious plan along with perfect timing, which was supported by the FIA president, has been given a go-ahead. It is now up to Liberty Media to decide on Andretti’s long-awaited global debut.
