Michael Andretti’s bid to bring his Andretti-Cadillac team into the Formula 1 arena has been met with an enthusiastic double thumbs-up from the sport’s governing body, the FIA. With the Paris federation green-lighting the team application, and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem pushing hard for it politically, the recently-appointed new FIA CEO Natalie Robyn now echoes the rare positive sentiments about F1’s potential new American team. However, Liberty Media, which holds the commercial rights to F1, appears to be far less convinced, weighing the commercial implications of adding an eleventh team to the grid, backed by the decidedly-unenthusiastic existing ten teams.
Andretti expressed his frustration with the situation, stating, “I didn’t think it would be this hard to get in,” in an interview with Bloomberg. “First of all, they think we’re a bunch of hillbillies over here. That we don’t know what we’re doing.” This sentiment underscores the challenges Andretti faces despite the team’s proven track record in other prestigious motorsport categories – a situation not dissimilar to his own short-lived and failed Formula 1 career as a driver.
When Diario AS inquired if Liberty Media might ultimately reject Andretti’s entry, FIA CEO Robyn responded with cautious optimism. “They now have their time to analyse the commercial side, so we’ll have to see,” she said. Robyn also pointed out the potential benefits of a truly American team entering F1, especially given the surge of American fans flocking to the sport. “Much of the public that we see coming to F1 now is American, and of a very relevant and diverse age,” she noted.
Robyn believes that the pros of welcoming an additional team outweigh the cons, stating, “Well, that’s my point of view.” She acknowledged that opinions may vary, concluding, “But yes, I think it would benefit the sport.”
