Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has suggested that Andretti Global should look at taking over an existing Formula 1 team rather than establish its own outfit.
Andretti has been in discussions with F1 for some time regarding setting up an 11th squad on the grid.
It recently announced a tie-up with General Motors, which would see Cadillac arrive in the sport alongside Andretti.
However, Andretti has faced resistance from currently established F1 teams amid concern over how it would impact its end-of-year payouts.
Horner pointed out that some of the sport’s most successful teams, including his own Red Bull squad, once existed as a separate entity.
“Red Bull Racing was Jaguar, which was Stewart Ford,” he told the Daily Mail. “You look at Mercedes, that goes all the way back through Honda to British American Racing to Tyrell.
“Aston Martin go back to being a Jordan team. That has been the procedure for many years.
“There’s absolutely nothing against Andretti, they’re great people and Cadillac is a wonderful brand, but we need to come up with a criteria for 2026 that doesn’t diminish the value of, particularly, the smaller teams, and deals with the elephant in the room of: who is actually going to pay for it?
“In terms of a new entrant, putting down a down-payment that doesn’t devalue the 10th franchise, and at the same time, Liberty and the teams accepting that, inevitably, compromises need to be made.
“There is, of course, also the practical elements of: are there enough garages at some of these new venues that we go to, to accommodate an 11th team? It needs to be dealt with in the right way.
“Andretti is a great team, Mario Andretti is a name synonymous with Formula 1… Cadillac, GM, is one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world. So it would be great to see them in the sport, but it’s just got to be done properly.”
Andretti entry contains risks – but perhaps ones worth taking
Andretti is very serious about its F1 bid – its current mindset is to establish itself as a broad motorsport force, rather than simply focus on its escapades in the United States.
It has already revealed plans for a motorsport hub in Indiana, which would be its central operation for its racing activities.
The moves it has made signal its intent to become a major motorsport division, and after successfully tackling IndyCar, IMSA and even Formula E (where it current sits atop the championship standings), its next goal is F1.
The current teams that are set up in F1 have a right to be upset – the sport is a business for these parties. Andretti’s arrival would only disrupt the current set-up and the dilute the prize fund.
It would be disastrous for all parties involved if Andretti suffered at the back of the grid – the US outfit would be left with egg on its face, F1 teams will be proven right and other interested manufacturers may think twice about joining.
But Andretti is not oblivious to the challenge it faces, as its roots run deep into motorsport, even outside of F1.
Should it be triumphant, it will surely only add to the current boom that F1 is experiencing and increase the value of the sport.
Andretti has been successful with its motorsport endeavours in the past. Although F1 would no doubt be its biggest confrontation, it doesn’t lack ambition – and its history backs up its ability to channel success.
Keyword: Horner suggests alternative method for Andretti to join F1