The questionable motivations revealed by F1’s predictable Andretti stalemate

Given it was the FIA’s idea to launch a formal entry process to potentially allow an 11th team into Formula 1, you might have expected governing body president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to welcome sole successful bidder Andretti with a rousing fanfare. Instead, it was abundantly clear he was having to walk a legal tightrope.  

When the FIA finally announced that it had given the proposal the green light, the accompanying quote attributed to him read: “The FIA is obliged to approve applications that comply with the Expressions of Interest 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.”  

Hardly a warm reception. But all sentiment and subjectivity had to go out the window since there’s every chance his words will soon be studied by a band of lawyers. After that, Andretti and prospective partner Cadillac will release a damning statement blasting the championship for being a closed European shop to inflict massive reputational damage upon F1 and the FIA. That’s how this new-team saga surely ends.  

Throughout this application process, the 10 incumbent squads have never desired another playmate. They don’t want to slice their portion of the commercial pie by 10% to feed another hungry mouth. Even if Andretti can comfortably afford the current $200million anti-dilution fee the Concorde Agreement mandates to mitigate this, it still won’t be enough. The same contract also states F1 can house up to 12 teams…  

A new figure of $600m has been touted by the paddock as more appropriate to offset the financial pain of an additional entry. This would be written into the new Concorde Agreement which takes effect in 2026. But no matter how eye-watering the sum becomes, it seems it’s the principle – not the price – that’s the stumbling block.

F1 team principals have been uniform in their opposition to growing the grid and admitting Andretti's entry

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

In the short term, there’s trepidation towards any unknown quantity that risks destabilising the current riches. Further down
the line, should F1’s popularity wane (social media figures already show the Red Bull domination in 2023 is turning people off),
teams don’t want a later arrival who they don’t fully trust suddenly getting itchy feet. There’s also an underlying element that existing competitors feel they deserve that bit more for having stuck by F1
during its mid-2010s lull. 

If those already loyally populating the pitlane don’t want the grid to grow, by proxy rights holder FOM most likely won’t allow it, regardless of whether CEO Stefano Domenicali then appears to have been strongarmed into his final decision. Thus, Andretti will not advance beyond the “next stage of the application process”, even if it can demonstrate credible blue-chip sponsor interest, General Motors backing and an ability to engage a sizeable US audience. 

The FIA’s very deliberate wording is to try and spare it from being the party that forks out in an expensive settlement

When F1 tells Andretti there’s no room at the inn – despite the bid having satisfied every financial, sustainability and societal criteria stipulated by the FIA – someone will need to take the blame for the loss of money, time and, worst of all, face. As such, the FIA’s very deliberate wording is to try and spare it from being the party that forks out in an expensive settlement.

What a dismal outcome this will be for a process conceived not to boost the health of F1, but to essentially boast about it. The FIA wasn’t motivated by any forecasted gains an 11th team might offer but instead to find out just how many companies really were ready to double down on their F1 interest. It’s been a self-affirming popularity contest.

The FIA has granted its approval to Andretti, but it's far from a done deal that the team will join the grid

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images