Zak Brown Calls His Rivals ‘Uninformed’ Over Andretti Bid Amidst $1.3 Billion Fear

Zak Brown’s $30,000 Mistake Still a Cause for Unrest Between McLaren and Their Premier Sponsors

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.”

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.

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.

Post Edited By: Shreya Sanjeev
Andretti McLaren Zak Brown

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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