Mario and Michael Andretti have been vocal of fielding their team on the F1 grid for a long time but unfortunately, F1 rejected their advances earlier this year. Refusing to take no for an answer however, Mario has reached out to the US Congress to help him fulfill his F1 dream.
Andretti received heavy backlash from other teams when they expressed their desire to enter the paddock. Still, they went ahead with the registration process and in October 2023, the FIA deemed them fit to participate. However, the final approval which was pending from Formula One Management (FOM), was rejected in February 2024.
F1 and the teams felt that Andretti didn’t guarantee the addition of enough value. This shut down the possibility of them joining the grid until at least 2026, or so they thought. Ahead of the 2024 Miami GP weekend, NBC’s Jake Sherman reports that Mario Andretti was at the US Congress, talking to lawmakers about his bid to enter F1.
The particulars of the discussions between Andretti and these lawmakers are yet to be disclosed. However, given the sensitive commercial nature of the proposition and Liberty Media (F1’s owners) being American, it is being speculated that the 84-year-old is concerned about the Anti-Trust/Anti-Competition aspects of FOM’s decision to reject his bid.
Andretti’s push for a place on the F1 grid is a testament to their continued commitment to the F1 World Championship. Despite not getting a formal green signal from the sport, the team has already started investing heavily in infrastructure.
Andretti rolled on with the F1 project choosing Silverstone as their home
F1 has not completely closed the doors on Andretti’s venture. The main argument put forth by the sport was that, by being Renault’s customer team, they didn’t see the American outfit making the necessary waves to justify their commercial benefits. On the other hand, a full works Andretti outfit could be welcomed into the sport with open arms.
Nothing about the same is official or has been confirmed yet. Andretti’s entry remains doubtful but behind the scenes, work rages on. Mario Andretti, a former F1 World Champion himself, believes in their vision of being on the grid sooner or later. The very first step taken in that respect was choosing a base in the United Kingdom.
Last month, Andretti opened a new facility in Silverstone, close to where current F1 team Aston Martin is based. They have also gone on an aggressive recruitment spree, and their career page now boasts 60 vacancies at their Silverstone facilities.
