Michael Andretti has long held the dream of having an F1 team. However, that dream looked to be slipping through his hands when his application was rejected by Formula One Management. While it was a disappointing story for him, there was another party who was just as shocked–General Motors. The fact that the reason given for this rejection was their not having the ability “to be competitive” became a major talking point. Now, after almost a month of this decision, General Motors has made its first statement.

The FOM’s primary issue was the current Renault power unit, which they deemed unfit for competition. However, they were open to giving the Andretti another chance in 2028 after Cadillac’s power unit was ready. While it seemed reasonable, both General Motors and Andretti took issue with being called uncompetitive. This was visible in the said statement, as quoted by motorsport.com which also gave a huge detail about FIA’s stance on their application.

“In terms of our application with Andretti, we feel great about our application. The FIA studied it against other applicants and then gave our application a vote of confidence and approval. So obviously the FOM made their statement, and we have asked for a follow-up meeting with FOM, and so we will work through that. We do believe between Andretti and Cadillac that we have got the capability of fielding a competitive entry,” said Jim Campbell, GM’s vice president of performance and motorsport.

Addressing the concerns about the team being uncompetitive, Campbell said, “We believe in the application we submitted. And in that application, we articulated the abilities of both Andretti as a race team and Cadillac as a manufacturing and engineering entity. So, we feel confident in the application and are asking for a meeting with FOM.” 

Read more: “It’s Strange Nonsense”: Andretti’s Ex-Ally Unleashes Fury at F1 for Rejecting Picture Perfect Proposal

So as it stands, the FIA did like what they saw, but FOM didn’t bite the bullet. What Andretti brought to the table was just not enough to cover the cost of having them onboard. 

The shortcomings that affected the chances of an Andretti F1 team

Apart from Andretti’s alleged uncompetitiveness, FIA had more reasons. FIA was clear that adding the 11th team to the grid would be an expensive endeavor for sponsors and the management. All of this could be bearable if the new team brings forth added interest to the sport. This is where FIA deemed Andretti Autosports’ alleged uncompetitiveness as a major roadblock. 

This statement did surprise a few long-term fans and experts. Michael Andretti is a well-known face and more importantly, Andretti Global is a massively successful sports team. So calling them ineffective in bringing in new eyes didn’t sound right. GM’s Jim Campbell was asked if he felt insulted by this twice but he chose to downplay it. 

So as it stands, the joint team of Andretti and GM is “continuing to develop our car at pace.” With the deadline set for 2028, it’s a race against time for Andretti.

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