Power struggle in Formula 1: Why the Andretti team is not allowed to compete in the premier class

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Michael Andretti (m.) at the Formula 1 race in Austin

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Pro Shots / IMAGO

The Formula 1 fans are angry - especially the American ones: After months of testing, Formula 1 has rejected the start of an Andretti racing team in Formula 1 next year.

On the one hand, the decision seems irritating, as the USA is considered an important growth market, with three races at the same time

took place there last year, something that doesn't exist anywhere else. Many fans and also some drivers such as world champion Max Verstappen and record champion Lewis Hamilton had spoken out in favor of an eleventh team on the starting grid.

The cancellation doesn't come as a complete surprise. It is the temporary end of a power struggle that was also about money from the start. The world association FIA gave the green light for entry in October last year, but the final decision rested with the holder of the commercial rights.

Formula 1, i.e. owner Liberty Media, is now taking a stand - and thus meets the wishes of most of the established teams, who would have to share the current lavish profits with them if another racing team arrived (read more about this here).

However, the rejection of the new entry of Michael Andretti, son of the former world champion Mario Andretti, together with the US group General Motors is met with incomprehension.

The name Andretti is considered a heavyweight in US racing and has also had a reputation in the

European-influenced

Formula 1 has a long list of successes. Among them: A Formula 1 world championship title by father Mario Andretti in 1977, 12 victories in Formula 1, 18 pole positions, 20 podium places. Six victories in the famous Indianapolis 500, one in the 500 Miles of Daytona, nine times champion in the Indycar series, four times in the IndyLights, two overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona, a total of more than 350 victories as a driver or team owner in the various racing series. The reigning Formula E champion, Jake Dennis, is also on the road for an Andretti team.

Criticism of the decision is primarily based on the three-page document in which Formula 1 announced its reasons for the cancellation:

• Among other things, it says that an eleventh team “would not represent any added value for the championship.” In particular, the fight for podium places and race victories would increase fan loyalty, but the "applicant" is considered "not competitive." So Formula 1 expects a newcomer to be able to compete directly for the world championship - currently not even the established teams can do that.

• Formula 1 is openly questioning whether the Andretti racing team is aware of the challenge of having to build two very different vehicles in two years as a newcomer due to the rule change in 2026. The objection may be justified, but the Andretti team had a reason for wanting to enter the last year of the current regulations. Until then, there would be an admission fee of $200 million. Under the new Concorde agreement, a significant increase of up to $600 million is expected.

• Another point that Formula 1 points out is that an additional team would pose a challenge to the race organizers. However, the FIA ​​requirements that track operators must meet in order to obtain a license to host a Formula 1 race state that they must be able to accommodate 26 cars, i.e. 13 teams, in the paddock and pit area .

• It is also said that Formula 1 would bring more to the Andretti brand than the other way around. This passage comes just a few days after Alpha Tauri, the Red Bull Junior Team, officially renamed itself “Visa Cash App RB”. The fact that the original name Toro Rosso, the Italian translation of Red Bull, became Alpha Tauri in 2019, the name of a Red Bull-owned clothing line, was barely swallowed by fans and the media. But this extreme commercialization, which is obvious at first glance and is gradually erasing all sporting history and orientation, goes too far for many people.

The Andretti Cadillac team expressed their lack of understanding of those responsible for the premier motorsport class. The content communicated by Formula 1 management is firmly contradicted, it said in a statement. They are proud of the “significant progress” they have already made in the development of a “highly competitive car and a power unit with an experienced team behind it,” and the work will continue quickly.

The team was already in the middle of preparations, including collecting information in the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne. "I'm devastated," said 83-year-old Mario Andretti on X.

The association reacts taciturnly

The FIA ​​reacted narrowly. Formula 1's decision had been noted, it said in a note on Thursday: "We are conducting a dialogue about the next steps." FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is a supporter of an eleventh team.

What happens next is still unclear. Formula 1 had left a back door open for Andretti: they would “view an application for inclusion in the 2028 championship with a drive unit from General Motors differently,” it said. GM will be an engine supplier in Formula 1 from 2028. The engines will be made available exclusively to the Andretti-Cadillac team.

It is questionable whether Formula 1 is even allowed to decide on this. With its decision in favor of Andretti, the FIA, based in Paris, had referred to an old EU directive from 2000, which, for competition law reasons, prohibits "refusing participation to an applicant without understandable reasons."

Lawyers would have to clarify whether it would actually be applied. Regardless of EU law, further battles could potentially arise, such as claims for damages in American courts. Either way, the Andretti case has shown: For the time being, no other applicant can have legitimate hopes of being accepted into the premier class club.