F1 rejects Andretti bid to bring new US-based team to grid by 2026
Formula One has rejected the bid by the US-based Andretti team to enter the sport before 2026. It issued an emphatic dismissal of the bid but has left the option open for another application in 2028.
The team, run by the former F1 driver Michael Andretti alongside his father, the 1978 F1 world champion Mario, had been approved by the sport’s governing body, the FIA, but was turned down by the commercial rights holder on the grounds that it believed the team would neither be competitive nor add value to the championship.
The decision had been expected but will still prove controversial, with widespread public support for Andretti’s entry as F1’s 11th team. Their bid was made in conjunction with Cadillac, the manufacturer owned by General Motors.
In a lengthy statement issued on Wednesday, F1 laid out the reasoning behind the rejection but also said consideration would be given to another application for 2028, when the team would potentially have the additional weight of General Motors entering as its power unit supplier.
In October last year, after a long and exhaustive assessment, the FIA gave its approval to the Andretti entry. However getting approval from F1 was always going to present a more difficult hurdle.
There was opposition from the existing 10 teams, concerned that an 11th would dilute their share of the sport’s income without significantly improving revenue.
F1’s owners, Formula One Management, have been explicit throughout that their concern was the new entrant would not add value to the sport and prove to be uncompetitive, damaging F1’s reputation. They conducted their own in-depth commercial assessment and decided that the potential risks in accepting a new entry were not significantly offset by any additional value the team would bring.
Their conclusions included research that suggested Andretti, rather than F1, would be the principal beneficiary from their inclusion; it cited the costs to promoters of adapting to host an 11th team; a lack of indication of any financial improvement to the value of the commercial side of the sport and the difficulties facing a new team entering using a customer power unit during a period that included a major regulation change in 2026.
F1’s unambiguous conclusion will be an enormous blow for the Andretti operation which has already invested in staff and has been working on a potential car at 60% size in a wind tunnel.
“Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the championship,” the F1 statement read. “The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the applicant would be a competitive participant.”
Andretti issued a strident response stating they disputed the decision. “Andretti Cadillac has reviewed the information Formula One Management Limited has shared and strongly disagree with its contents,” it read. “Andretti and Cadillac are two successful global motorsports organisations committed to placing a genuine American works team in F1, competing alongside the world’s best. We are proud of the significant progress we have already made on developing a highly competitive car and power unit with an experienced team behind it, and our work continues at pace.”
Andretti could still potentially take legal action, especially given the almost unprecedented situation of the bid being approved by the FIA but rejected by F1.
When the FIA invited new bids for a place in the sport it is understood to have done so without consulting F1. It was a move which further exacerbated already strained relations between the two bodies that are unlikely to be eased given that the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, initiated the process and has been publicly in favour of granting a place to an 11th team.
The Andretti team entry was felt by fans, especially in the US, to be a credible and realistic entry and many have objected to F1’s teams being opposed to accepting new competition.
Andretti’s team have enjoyed success in other series including four IndyCar championships, six wins at the Indy 500 and the 2023 drivers title in Formula E. In October last year their bid was firmly backed by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
“It’s an opportunity for more jobs, another two seats available for a potential female driver to come through,” Hamilton said. “It opens up more possibilities and I think it’ll be exciting for the racing.”
The tie-in with Cadillac and General Motors was also felt to be a major selling point as was the respect the Andretti name enjoys across motor racing. Pointedly however, F1 was not confident it would translate into a positive effect on the sport.
“While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around,” the statement read.