The Andretti Family and Andretti Cadillac they expressed anger and disappointment after the final I decline of F1 upon entering the Circus. An entry that encountered several obstacles, including the FOM email that never arrived because it ended up in the Spam box. Let's retrace the darkest days for Andretti, dating back to a few weeks ago, when in F1 there was still only talk of this harsh exclusion and not of the Ferrari-Hamilton marriage or the Horner case.
Andretti in Formula 1, the heavy "no". of the FOM
The dream of competing as an independent team in modern Formula 1 is too big even for Andretti, let alone anyone else. The decision came following a very frank discussion within F1 about Andretti's candidacy and the difficulties it might encounter as an independent team. Precisely these difficulties led F1 to reject Andretti's candidacy in order to protect the competition from those who want to use its growing popularity to their own advantage. Furthermore, F1 did not take kindly to Andretti's desire to continue its program in other categories. By also taking on the F1 commitment he would have risked too much.
Perhaps these reasons, i.e. the accusation of wanting to take advantage of the image of F1, and the fact of not contributing to the competitiveness of the championship are the things that have hurt the Andretti's pride more than others.
“I am devastated. I won't say anything else because I can't find any words other than devastated,” declared the 1978 world champion, sharing his first reactions via i social media after the FOM's decision.
F1 is always changing less accessible
In that "no" dictated by F1 which did not grant Andretti entry as the 11th team there is everything: the investments, years of work, the approval of the FIA and the conflict with Liberty Media, the dream and the awareness that F1 is becoming an inaccessible category even to the wealthiest wallets, and above all not destined to evolve.
The news has sparked controversy among fans, highlighting the tension between F1 and the FIA, considering that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had initially started the process in 2023 and has spoken publicly about the merits of the Andretti project.
Andretti will then have to roll up his sleeves and start all over again. Bringing something more to the table than everything he has collected in these years that he has attempted to take over by first purchasing Sauber, and then continuing with the Andretti – Cadillac plan. The lack of an agreement with General Motors before 2028 also weighed heavily on Andretti's situation. Entering that year by changing the roadmap would most likely entail a higher cost for entry into F1.
Andretti's response Cadillac at F1
The situation represented a hard blow for the Andretti family who, however, have no intention of putting their F1 dream aside. In addition to Mario Andretti's statement, an even stronger one came from Andretti Cadillac:
“Andretti Cadillac has reviewed the information shared by Formula One Management Limited and strongly disagrees with its content. Andretti and Cadillac are two successful global motorsport organizations committed to fielding a truly American F1 team capable of competing with the best in the world. We are proud of the significant progress we have already made in developing a highly competitive car and power unit, with an experienced team behind us, and our work continues apace.”
Renault backs down, no engine at Andretti until entering F1
The issue linked to Andretti's entry now seems to have taken a back seat. However, during the presentation of the new Alpine A524 another important detail emerged on the background linked to the no's received from Andretti. Bruno Famin, responsible for the French Group's sports programs ha in fact clarified that Renault would not supply an engine to Andretti without the guarantee of the team's entry into Formula 1. The agreement between Renault and Andretti had in fact expired last year, therefore it would not have been valid.
The lack of a power unit complicates Andretti's situation which now risks not joining until at least 2028.
