According to McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, the opposition toward the Andretti F1 bid from the other teams is uninformed. The main bone of contention that the teams have put forth against Andretti’s venture in the sport is the fact that it will dilute the $1.3 Billion prize pot currently incumbent in the sport.
While acknowledging the concerns, Brown admitted, “I think all of us are not that informed on what the actual proposal is, so everyone is running around with an opinion. I’ve not seen specifically what’s on the table.”
Brown argues complaints on Andretti’s F1 proposal uninformed
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There are always two sides to a coin, Brown argues. “The pros are they [Andretti] can help grow the pie. hat pie can be fans, first and foremost; that can be television revenue; that could be increased exposure in a certain market that helps to bring in more sponsors, excitement on the racetrack,” he explained. However, Andretti’s entry as the 11th team can also go awry for the other teams. “The downside is if the pie doesn’t get larger, and then you’re just divvying up the same-sized pie, and that’s where I think the majority of the teams are,” Brown concluded.
Hence, without being aware of the specifics of the commercial deal being thrashed out on the end of Andretti, Brown feels that at the moment, the opposition of the teams is based merely on conjecture and not proper and concrete facts. In the background, this may have waged a civil war between the FIA and Formula 1.
How Andretti triggered discontent between the FIA and F1
As things stand, the FIA seems to be in favor of Andretti’s F1 bid. On the other hand, it seems likelier by the day that the 10 F1 teams are going to block the American team’s entry into the sport. Hence, putting the FIA and the F1 at loggerheads with each other.
Recently, the FIA, the governing body of F1, gave its assent and accepted Andretti’s bid. Now, the ball is in F1’s court. While the FIA is in favor of getting an 11th team on the grid to ensure the maximization of their pecuniary benefits, F1 teams are worried about getting their return on investment diluted with another mouth to feed.
Michael Andretti melihat konflik FIA vs Toto Wolff saat ini: “aelaaaahhh, tinggal selangkah lagi, malah bubaarr..”
Dengan posisi FIA saat ini, sulit melihat negosiasi Andretti dengan F1 bakal berjalan lancar. Bahkan bisa jadi pintu ditutup rapat-rapat gara-gara aksi… pic.twitter.com/uIbx4aw8tl
— F1 Speed Indonesia (@f1speed_indo) December 8, 2023
This standoff adds another layer of controversy between the FIA and Formula 1 after the recent ‘conflict of interest’ fiasco involving Toto Wolff and his wife, Susie Wolff. Irrespective of the decision taken by F1, the Andretti saga is going to stretch on. It is being reported that if the teams reject Andretti’s bid, the Americans won’t shy away from dragging them to the courts.
