Andretti’s F1 Rejection Termed “An Absolute Disgrace” to Motorsport by F1 Expert

The fact that the Andrettis are not getting their in into Formula 1 is disheartening for many, to say the least. The legacy name comes with years of experience in motorsport and not many are happy about Formula One Management’s decision. While the association has discarded the team’s entry for 2026, they put out a statement to announce the rejection and this caused an uproar in the community.

F1 journalist Peter Windsor talks about the decision in the latest edition of his podcast, F1 Chat with Peter Windsor. In the podcast, the 71-year-old journalist is asked a question about Andretti and that sends him on a rant about how he is unhappy with Formula One’s approach.

Formula One’s unhinged rejection of Andretti

One of the questions asked by a fan was, “Why would Formula 1 not recognize the legal legacy André would bring to Formula 1? The man has had a seriously impressive career. Thoughts?” To this Peter Windsor replied, “You’re absolutely right, and I’ve said that many times. I think it’s an absolute disgrace.“

Explaining his stance on the situation, Windsor added, “His legacy and his contribution to Motorsport in general and to Formula 1 has been enormous. His contribution to Lotus, Ferrari, and to other Formula One teams, as well as the American Panelli team and March, you know, the guy is an absolute icon.” The Andretti name has always been an important part of Formula 1, according to Windsor.

He further spoke about the Andretti legacy and added, “And that’s Mario. It’s his son, obviously, Michael, who’s tried to put this Formula One team together. But the whole thing is the Andretti name and the Andretti legacy, as you say. And for it to be dismissed like that with words along the lines of, ‘We’re not sure the team will be competitive and Andretti needs Formula 1 much more than Formula 1 needs Andretti,’ which I thought was despicable.”

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Windsor talks about how the rejection of Andrettis was not handled properly. The Formula One commercial rights owners have made a statement that the journalist doesn’t agree with and neither does a lot of the Formula 1 community.

What is really stopping Andrettis from joining Formula 1?

The rejection of the Andretti was carried out in a three-page report by Formula One. The FOM believes that Andretti would not be a competitive team in the Constructors’ Championship. Although the team has a name that is synonymous with the sport, the commercial rights owners have ruled out team additions to the current grid until 2028.

The report outlines, “The addition of an 11th team would place an operational burden on race promoters, would subject some of them to significant costs, and would reduce the technical, operational, and commercial spaces of the other competitors.”

Additionally, the report states, “Coming to the sport as a new PU manufacturer is also a huge challenge, with which major automotive manufacturers have struggled in the past, and one which can take a manufacturer a number of years of significant investment in order to become competitive. GM have the resource and credibility to be more than capable of attempting this challenge, but success is not assured.“

While concluding the report, Formula 1 stated they, “would look differently on an application for the entry of a team into the 2028 championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM works team or as a GM customer team designing all allowable components in-house. In this case, there would be additional factors to consider in respect of the value that the Applicant would bring to the championship, in particular in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM to the sport as a PU supplier.”

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Andretti needs to work on getting a stable Power Unit supplier who can support the team, but along with that, having 11 teams on the grid is becoming a concern for other teams. That being said, do you think the team will make an entry after 2026? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.