The FIA may be suddenly open to the idea of an additional Formula 1 team, but Formula 1 itself still needs to agree, too.
Andretti Global
This time last week, Andretti Global seemed more like an optimistic pitch than a realistic Formula 1 team proposal. That has changed quickly, with the FIA finally announcing an official process to consider new team proposals for the series earlier this week and the bombshell announcement that Cadillac had joined the proposal alongside Andretti just yesterday. Formula 1 itself, though, has poured its own cold water on the situation with a statement it released yesterday:
“There is great interest in the F1 project at this time, with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others. We all want to ensure the championship remains credible and stable, and any new entrant request will be assessed on criteria to meet those objectives by the relevant stakeholders. Any new entrant request requires the agreement of both F1 and the FIA”
Although FIA approval is still not a certainty, the difference in language between answers from the FIA and F1 itself speaks to the differences in what Andretti will need to bring to the table for both parties. For the FIA, bringing any level of support from a major American manufacturer into the sport is a coup that has not been seen in decades. With Cadillac’s branding actually going on the cars, this level of American involvement is unprecedented. By going from a private team to one aligned with a factory, it radically alters both the on-track expectations and the business case for an Andretti Global entry in the series.
F1 teams, however, still see an 11th team slicing into their existing revenue sharing agreements. From their perspective, an American team is already on the grid and has already failed to deliver a significant impact to their bottom line; American expansion for the sport has come due to successful new races and a successful Netflix documentary, not the existence of Haas F1. Apart from Alpine and McLaren, team principals have been quick to dismiss the Andretti Global proposal so far. Series executives have also stressed that other parties are interested, although Michael Andretti has notably been significantly more vocal and significantly more committed to a publicly-stated plan than any other potential entrant.
This latest round of pushback is certainly not the end of Andretti Global from F1’s perspective, and the positive response from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem does not guarantee anything from the FIA’s perspective, either. The Andretti proposal became significantly more serious this week. Nothing is guaranteed, but with funding and the right partners in place, they are in an excellent position to fight for a spot on the grid moving forward.
Via Motorsport.
Keyword: F1 Reminds Andretti and Cadillac They Still Need F1's Approval