Mercedes says Andretti will need to prove worth to join F1
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Andretti Global will need to show it has the resources to join Formula 1, saying a new team requires $1bn in order to be competitive.


Andretti recently announced that it is in talks with the FIA about fielding an entry for 2024, having failed in its attempt to buy Sauber/Alfa Romeo last year.
Under the latest Concorde Agreement, any new team has to pay a $200m entry fee, designed as an "anti-dilution" measure to compensate the existing teams for their potential loss of income.
While Wolff acknowledged the potential value of the Andretti name to the sport, he stressed that the new outfit would also have to meet all the necessary criteria mandated by the FIA and the F1 organisation, financial and otherwise.
"Andretti is a name, that's for sure," said Wolff.
"And the American market is important. But every team that is joining needs to be accretive, that means needs to add value.
"And it's not only it's not only by paying $200 million entry fee, but it needs to demonstrate in my opinion what it can do for the other teams, for F1 and FIA. Only then the sport will grow.
"We are the absolute pinnacle, this is the Champions League, or the NFL, and redistributing franchises is not the goal, that's not how it should be, and it's not the intention of F1 and the FIA neither.
"But if there is a real brand coming in with good people, necessary funding, not only the 200 million but probably you need more like a billion if you want to play in this club straight from the get go. And then why not?"
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner agreed with Wolff that Andretti would need to prove its credentials in order to join the F1 grid.
"I think it's great that there's the interest for people wanting to enter F1," said Horner.
"The Andretti name is certainly a powerful name in motorsport. And, of course, they're not the only ones that are making noises about coming in.

Michael Andretti, Mario Andretti, and Zak Brown, Executive Director, McLaren
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
"But there are clear criteria through the Concorde Agreement that have to be met and approved.
"So I'm sure they're engaged in that in that process. And of course, that agreement is there to protect the 10 incumbents and not to dilute that. So obviously, that would need to be carefully looked at."
AlphaTauri's Franz Tost also said he would welcome a new team if it was approved by the authorities.
"Now we are 10 teams, and I think 10 really good teams, and at the end this is a decision from the FIA and from FOM," the Austrian noted.
"And if Michael wants to come with a new team, and is all the ingredients are coming together, and if the team's proposal is accepted, then yes. Otherwise, no."
McLaren boss Andreas Seidl suggested that given that the scope exists for an expansion to 12 teams, it would be better for that to happen sooner rather than later.
Once the grid reaches the limit of 24 cars, then it would be evident that buying an existing team would be the only way in, thus impacting their values.
"From our side, definitely we would welcome the Andretti team and the Andretti name, a US team which will help to grow the sport further in the US," said Seidl.
"I think will also open up simply more possibilities again to get young drivers in, the more teams we have.
"And in the end, the earlier we get to 12 teams for example, which is the maximum we can have, I think it would just help to drive the franchise value even higher of us teams, so absolutely open for it. We'd love to compete with them."
Related video

Hamilton: F1 must ensure it has unbiased stewards
Wolff, Horner agree to bury hatchet over "brutal" 2021 F1 rivalry

Latest news
De Vries cleared of wrongdoing in dispute over €250K loan
Nyck de Vries has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an Amsterdam court over a claim launched against him by real estate magnate Jeroen Schothorst relating to a €250,000 loan.
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
Horner hints at closer links between Mercedes and Williams F1 teams
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hinted that there could be a closer relationship between the Mercedes and Williams Formula 1 teams in the wake of James Vowles’s move.
Ford remains committed to WRC amid F1 return
Ford has stated that it remains committed to its programme in the World Rally Championship following confirmation of its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2026.
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.