“Greedy” F1 Billionaires Club Hits Back at Andretti as New Requirements Stall American F1 Revolution

F1 is a huge, intricate maze of power, money, and influence. While most of the visible tension is on track for racing; the political dynamic of Formula 1 runs quite deeper than we can imagine. The best of the best can get lost in this complex dynamic and the latest victim is Andretti. Trying to become the 11th team on the grid, Andretti has encountered a lot of resistance in the past year. Even after getting a big American manufacturer like GM onboard, the power brokers of F1 do not seem to be impressed.

The FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had welcomed Andretti-Cadillac’s interest in an F1 entry. Though, his statement about the resistance and adverse reaction to Andretti’s Cadillac announcement indicates a deeper dynamic.

As per BBC reports, the lack of any public adversity to Andretti’s bid indicates whether F1 teams have hit back at the American outfit’s interest behind closed doors. Usually, the existing teams do not have much of a say in the new teams’ process. But they certainly got a strong voice of influence.

Thus, it seems that even GM and Cadillac’s involvement with Andretti is not able to convince the teams. Meanwhile, even F1 has indicated cryptically that they have other interests as well from other parties for entering F1. But their conversations are not as visible, perhaps pointing out Andretti’s public approach.

Though, apart from this money is also a concern. As per the Concorde agreement, any new team also has to pay an anti-dilution fee of $200 million. While Andretti is ready to pay the same; teams believe that ain’t enough now.

Since the interest in F1 has risen, insiders believe that $200 million only cover the revenue loss of up to 2 years or so for all teams. If the fee is up to $600-700 million, it can suffice for up to 5 years of revenue loss.

As per Autosport, speaking to Forbes, Michael Andretti has called out the F1 billionaire teams’ club on these possible new requirements, saying, “It’s all about money.” He stated, “It’s all about greed and [existing teams] looking at themselves and not looking at what is best for the overall growth of the series.”

Besides, the teams also have potentially raised concerns over the seriousness of Andretti’s F1 ambitions and plans. Thus, the lack of support may stall Andretti’s American F1 revolution.

Read More: $700 Million Demanded of American Giants Andretti as F1 Takes a Leaf Out of NHL’s $650 Million Move

Andretti had tried to get a vote of confidence last year in Miami. But, this went quite badly. Apart from Alpine and probably McLaren, all teams refused to sign in support of Andretti’s F1 bid.

A few months down the line, this lack of support is still persistent with possible doubts over the “Value” of Andretti’s F1 entry.

What are the concerns against Andretti and Cadillac – Can they overcome this resistance from F1?

Many have arguably questioned whether Andretti can be competitive enough in the sport. Also, there is a question mark on whether the team can build a good F1-level roster based in the US.

For several years, the pinnacle of motorsport has got its epicenter in Europe with the UK acting as the Silicon Valley for F1 teams. Barring Ferrari, Sauber, and Alpha Tauri; every team has a base of operations in the UK. Thus, Andretti’s plans to build its HQ and operations base in the US in Indiana may perplex doubts over the effectiveness and efficiency of the team.

Another aspect teams have probably cited is Andretti’s deadline for joining the F1 grid before 2025. Teams possibly believe this deadline is quite unrealistic as the American outfit needs 500-600 personnel before they join the grid.

Regarding Cadillac, they do plan to make their own F1 engine program. But initially, they have an arrangement with an existing F1 manufacturer to get the team started. Most probably this manufacturer is rumored to be Renault. Although, existing teams think this does not make sense for Cadillac’s presence in F1 if they will be badging Renault engines under their brand.

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Overall, it is a big complex dynamic that Andretti’s bid needs to overcome. It won’t be easy to tackle multiple stakeholders of the sport and get them on board. Meanwhile, they have to keep their plans foolproof for proving these concerns wrong. What do you think of the resistance to Andretti’s F1 ambitions?