Andretti Global (formerly Andretti Autosport) has been trying to enter F1. And while the FIA is willing to provide them a seat, the Formula 1 Management (FOM) and majority of F1 teams are against the idea. To expand on that, veteran journalist Joe Saward, in his recent blog, claims that most teams think that Michael Andretti, the owner of the team, holds unrealistic views around the operations of the sport.
Andretti Group has admitted itself to a variety of motorsports. From NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula E, and some other lesser Formulas, they are everywhere, unlike the other F1 teams.
The FIA has rejected applications from three of the four prospective new F1 teams, with Andretti Global’s effort understood to be the sole remaining bidder 👀
Is an 11th team a good thing for F1? Tell us your thoughts in the comments 👇#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/rJsd7oHRwm
— Autosport (@autosport) September 23, 2023
Despite having a varied portfolio, the other F1 teams believe they can’t bring in value. In fact, having participation everywhere is the root behind this judgment.
Andretti could embarrass Formula 1
Gone are the days when teams frequently folded their operations in the sport. Rather, the teams are more solid than ever. But other teams, as per the blog by Saward, believes Andretti would be soon to cease its operations and would be an ’embarrassment’.
“No-one in America seems to think that it is odd that none of the existing F1 teams do all of this at the same time and this is almost certainly one of the reasons that some in F1 think it is a bad idea for Andretti to be given an F1 entry because it shows that the Americans have unrealistic views about F1 and if the programme goes ahead it could be a massive ad embarrassing failure,” wrote Saward.
But while the FOM is yet to give its approval to the American racing giants, the FIA has already given them the green light. In fact, Andretti was the only side among several other parties that got the approval. But that didn’t even happen to teams, which were ready to even give $600 million.
FIA pushes sides with more cash in hand
Initially, Andretti was demanded to give $200 million as the anti-dilatation fee. While he was ready to pay that amount, another team who was eyeing an F1 entry was LKYSUNZ. As per the recent revelation, they were willing to submit $600 million for the anti-dilation fee and prove that, in terms of finances, they were robust and could create value in the sport.
However, they were snubbed along with Hitech, Rodin Cars, and Formula Equal. Meanwhile, to show their preparedness, most of the sides even created factory with high-profile engineers to display how ready they are.
However, with their rejection, the employees’ services in the team are redundant. Now, all of them, as per the Business F1, are looking for new jobs in the already established F1 teams.
