Ex-Ferrari Boss Explains Why Andretti’s “American” Mind Will Keep Them From Entering F1

The quest to get on the F1 grid continues for Andretti as the American team continues to try to become the 11th team. However, so far, there has been no luck in adding a new team to the grid. Eleven teams mean smaller slices of the victory pool, and no one wants that to happen. Although being the 11th team on the grid is currently not an option, there is a way that Andretti can hurry their entry to F1.

If Andretti wants to get a quick entry into F1, they can do what Audi is doing and buy a team. Sauber sold its team to Audi, and in 2026, they will be competing for the constructors championship. Andretti can take a similar route and get onto the grid, but that is not advisable, according to Peter Windsor, and let’s find out why.

Why buying a team for Andretti is a bad idea?

One of the figures who really wants Andretti in Formula 1 is Peter Windsor. During his F1 Talk with Peter Windsor, the 72-year-old was asked by a fan about the American team needing to buy an existing team off the grid, like VCARB. To this, Windsor replied, “But will Andretti do that?”

He continued to explain, “As I’ve said many, many times, if Andretti’s got—let’s say he’s got 800 million. I don’t know how much he’s got, let’s say he’s got 800 million. Why, in his logical American mind of sports franchise promotion, whatever it is they want to talk about, why would he want to give all that money to Red Bull in order to own, see them cash out, and then have no money left to put his own team together, or run it, or do it his way?”

In this hypothetical situation, Windsor talks about the financial challenge that Andretti would face if they were to buy a pre-existing team. The ex-Ferrari boss then said, “He’d have an Italian team, a lot of good Italian people, but it’s really not what he wants to do. He wants to do an Andretti American team, possibly build the car in America, made in America.”

Andretti wants to promote American motorsports in the top leagues and he’d mostly move the base to American and change the staff. Windsor explained Andretti’s mentality as he stated, “Why would he want to do that? You know, if he’s got all that money, he would think, “I can do the same job, if not better, than all these guys. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing it. So why do I need to buy it?” That’s the problem, you know, and he’s right, he’s absolutely right.”

If the team wants to start from scratch and be American with their way of creating something from scratch, it might just prevent them from getting on the grid. The option of buying a team will always be open, but that could come with a significant cost. So why won’t F1 allow the entry of Andretti as the 11th team?

Peter Windsor explains why other teams don’t want an 11th team on the grid

Peter Windsor explains the financial side of Formula 1 as he states that it is “total greed” that is preventing the 11th team from joining the circuit. In the past, there have been up to 26 cars on the grid, and now that the number has been reduced to 20, the teams are enjoying a bigger piece of the pie.

Windsor explained the stance of the rest of the grid, saying, “I think it’s completely ridiculous, just greed on the side of the F1 teams, that they refuse to let him in unless all the money goes to one of the teams.” The former Ferrari boss has stated on multiple occasions that F1 needs Andretti, and being actual racers, they would only do justice to the sport.

Considering how difficult it has been for Andretti to bring in a new team to F1, do you think he will make it possible in the coming years? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.