Formula 1 team bosses have told prospective entry Andretti to wait until its Cadillac power unit is ready in 2028 or simply buy an existing entry.
Andretti’s “work continues at pace,” since Formula One Management (FOM) rebuffed its plans to join the grid in 2026.
The prospective F1 team has opened a new site at Silverstone, recruited Nick Chester as Technical Director, and recently acquired former F1 Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds as a consultant.
However, there is no agreement on the horizon for Andretti to join the grid in 2026 amid 1978 Drivers’ Champion Mario Andretti claiming that Liberty Media’s Greg Maffei told him he would stop at nothing to bar the team’s entry in the series.
“Andretti has a great racing heritage,” Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner told media during Friday’s Press Conference in Monaco after saying he would “absolutely” welcome the team.
However, Horner’s welcome came along with the repeated caveats FOM has already noted.
“You know, Mario [Andretti] is a legend of the sport,” Horner continued.
“And of course, Cadillac, a huge automotive manufacturer from the US.
“I think Formula One have said in 2028, if they were to come with their own engine, they would obviously, I think, review it.
“But I think in addition to that, if Andretti were to want to come a little like Audi acquired Sauber, I think to protect the current franchise and stability that we have in the sport, then obviously their best route to goal is to acquire one of the existing teams.”
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative of Sauber was in agreement with Horner, especially considering the Hinwil-based outfit is poised for a 100% takeover by auto-giants Audi.
Ironically, Andretti failed to agree terms with Sauber when it hoped to acquire the team in 2021.
“I think that Audi shows the right path to come to Formula One,” said Bravi.
“Of course, Cadillac is a big player and qualified this project as potentially, you know, good project.
“But there is a way that is to buy into an existing team. And I think that the process put in place by Formula One is a clear one.”
Alpine Team Principal noted that “we have to be very careful not to dilute and to preserve the value of the championship for the teams as well.”
Amid Andretti’s continued struggle to gain entry to F1, the U.S. government has also had its say on the matter.
In an unprecedented turn of events, Members of the United States Congress wrote to Liberty Media ahead of May’s Miami GP seeking answers around Andretti’s failed F1 bid.
“We write to express our concerns with apparent anti-competitive actions that could prevent two American companies, Andretti Global and General Motors (GM), from producing and competing in Formula 1,” the letter read.
RB CEO Peter Bayer and Horner both spoke on this on Friday, outlining first that F1 is by no means ‘anti-American’ and secondly reiterating the fact they seek to protect the existing franchises within the sport.
“There are very clear procedures,” said Bayer.
“The FIA has done a technical analysis. Formula One has then analysed the commercial potential.
“And that’s sort of the environment we are currently dealing with. And I certainly believe that, you know, the sport has done a lot to reach out to the United States.
“We have three races in the US, [RB has] two American sponsors.
“The sport as a whole is embracing the United States.”
“We’re US-owned,” added Horner.
“[Red Bull has] five Fortune 500 companies on our car.
“I think that this isn’t about anything to do with, with, you know, Andretti being American or anything like that.
“I think it’s purely down to, you know, the business model that is Formula One.
“I remember not so long ago that there would always be two teams at the tail end of the grid needing to be bailed out or be technically insolvent.
“We finally got into a position where there’s great strength and health in Formula One and Liberty has to be congratulated for that because they’ve created a model where even the worst team in Formula One probably has a billion-dollar valuation.
“Liberty has created that model. I think the approach that they bought by opening the sport as well and bringing a new fandom and new fans into the sport, they have to be commended on.
“I was surprised to see that Andretti had gone down this process.
“If they really want to find a way onto the grid, they will find it.
“The most natural solution is for them to acquire an existing franchise should one want to sell.”
