The FIA has officially given the green light to Andretti Formula Racing to join the Formula 1 grid, meaning the entity must now reach a commercial agreement with FOM.
A new teams process was launched in January this year by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Andretti was swift in its announcement that it would lodge an application.
In a statement issued by the sport’s governing body on Monday it was confirmed that Andretti was the only one of four applicants to advance to the final stage of the selection process.
“Andretti Formula Racing LLC was the only candidate to meet the stringent criteria that was set by the FIA in all material respects from the four teams which lodged formal applications in Phase 2 of the process,” read a statement.
Applicants were assessed on their sporting and technical ability, their ability to raise and maintain sufficient funding to compete at a representative level.
The FIA required applicants to outline their sustainability plans to match the sport’s drive to become net-zero by 2030 as well as a demonstration of how they intend to achieve a positive social impact through participation in the series.
“The FIA was very clear in establishing stringent criteria for entry from the outset of the Expressions of Interest procedure,” said Ben Sulayem.
“Our objective, after rigorous due diligence during the application phase, was to only approve prospective entries which satisfied the set criteria and illustrated that they would add value to the sport.
“The FIA is obliged to approve applications that comply with the Expressions of Interests application requirements and we have adhered to that procedure in deciding that Andretti Formula Racing LLC’s application would proceed to the next stage of the application process.
“In taking that decision, the FIA is acting in accordance with EU directives on motor sport participation and development.
“Andretti Formula Racing LLC was the only entity which fulfils the selection criteria that was set in all material respects. I congratulate Michael Andretti and his team on a thorough submission. I also want to thank all prospective teams for their interest and participation.”
Applications from Rodin, Hitech Grand Prix and Asian effort LKYSUNZ were all evaluated after reaching Phase 2 of the search, but have all been informed that they will not feature in the final selection process.
Andretti will now be referred to FOM to enter commercial discussions as part of Phase 3 of the application process.
While the FIA has expressed satisfaction with Andretti’s proposal, there is no attached guarantee of a spot on the F1 grid.
The team must now negotiate commercial terms with FOM while facing resistance from some of the ten incumbent outfits.
Formula 1 also issued a response to the news on Monday, simply saying: “We note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application.”
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