Backtracking on “Militant” Insult, Mario Andretti Glorifies Lewis Hamilton to Smoothen F1 Entry

The race for being an 11th team in F1 has become quite intense again with Andretti in pole position. Amid all this, the ever-graceful Lewis Hamilton has been caught in a pinch of drama from the Andretti family. Mario Andretti, an F1 & NASCAR  veteran himself, recently faced a minor speed bump on his way to support his son Michael Andretti’s F1 bid with Andretti Global. The hurdle? A tiny fallout from a previous comment about Hamilton. But it seems Mario is keen on patching things up.

Andretti’s entry has got the motorsport universe buzzing since the FIA flashed a green light. While the existing 10 teams might be side-eyeing the move (more teams = less prize money, you see), Hamilton’s hesitancy stems from a more personal space. Mario Andretti’s comments on Hamilton’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement weren’t exactly in good taste. Naturally, calling Lewis a “militant” & pretentious” on his persistent humanitarian efforts will cause a stir. Although Hamilton gave a dignified response, urging Andretti Sr. to educate himself, the bad taste persisted.

However, in a recent twist, Mario sang praises for the seven-time world champion. In an interview with TJ Sports USA, Andretti waxed eloquent about Hamilton’s legacy. “With Mercedes, that’s probably the best possibility to resume his winning ways and win another title.”

“No question. He’s young enough, and he certainly has still all of the desire that I could see, you know, to be at the top. And again, you know, after being a multi, multi-time world champion, you know, you don’t lose that ability,” he said, acknowledging Hamilton’s future and faith in Mercedes.

Regarding Hamilton’s unparalleled achievements, Andretti said, “Well, you know, if you hold a record, if he, you know, right now, he equaled a record that I thought would never be approached in my lifetime anyway. And there’s no reason why, you know, he’s still young enough that he could go for the eighth title. And it’s going to take a long time for anyone to reach that and surpass that. So, yeah, he’s definitely one of the greats, for sure. Absolutely. Deservedly so.” Perhaps this may also be to smoothen his son’s F1 team entry. Well, the Andrettis have run from pole to post for sure!

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As the race to the new season intensifies, one wonders if these latest praises are an olive branch from Mario. Time will tell if this mends the bridge between the Hamilton and Andretti camps. For now, grab your helmets and buckle up, because…

Andretti-Cadillac’s F1 debut: Behind-the-scenes drama unveiled!

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has spilled the beans on some behind-the-scenes politics over the Andretti-Cadillac Formula 1 saga. Hold onto your helmets! It seems some shadowy figures within F1 tried to coax our FIA head honcho into convincing General Motors to buy an existing team. We almost had a “Why don’t you just buy Sauber?” moment with Michael Andretti’s previous close-shave negotiations. But, in a dramatic “I’m not a broker!” moment, Ben Sulayem revealed he wasn’t having any of it.

“You cannot force Andretti/GM to buy another team just because they [the owners] want to sell,” he said to Reuters. Quite right, sir! Despite the backstage whisperings, the FIA has given a nod of approval for the Andretti-Cadillac team-up to step onto the F1 stage. Yet, with Liberty Media waiting in the wings, it remains to be seen whether this new act will get its big break.

The elephant in the room? A cool $200 million ant-dilution fee. Many current teams think this is more like pocket change rather than the fair price for an entry ticket. But Ben Sulayem is playing hardball. “Saying no to a team approved by the FIA? Good luck with that,” he might as well have winked. He dreams big – 12 teams on the grid, with one proudly waving the Stars and Stripes.

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The final piece of this motor saga? Word on the track is that Renault could be the heart under Andretti-Cadillac’s hood initially. Yet, General Motors might be looking to put its own engine into the race by 2027.