Martin Brundle warns Andretti rejection has put F1 and FIA on collision course
Martin Brundle feels Formula 1's rejection of the Andretti-Cadillac bid to form a new team has put the sport "absolutely head-to-head" with the FIA.
Michael Andretti teamed up with General Motors to submit the bid last year, with the hope of getting approval to create what would be F1's 11th team. And the proposal got the green light from the FIA.
However, the final say rests with Formula One Management and commercial rights holders Liberty Media. And the answer given on Wednesday was a firm 'no' - with several reasons given in an emphatic response to Andretti's plans.
Among them were concerns about the logistics of adding an 11th team, questions over how competitive the Andretti team would be and scrutiny over how realistic the team's aim of joining in 2025 was. F1's statement also asserted Andretti would get more out of the championship than it would put back into it.
This outcome demonstrates an obvious chasm between F1 and the FIA in terms of the respective bodies' visions for the future of the sport. And Brundle alluded to that as he reacted to the news on Sky Sports.
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He said: "As a Formula 1 fan, as a commentator, I would love there to be an 11th and indeed a 12th team on the grid, not least because drivers like Verstappen, Leclerc, Lando Norris, and others [like] George Russell at Mercedes have signed up for a very long time to stay in the same teams.
"The calendar is fairly mature these days going forward, so it'll be quite exciting to see that, but it's much more complex than that. This does put the FIA absolutely head-to-head with Formula One Management and Liberty Media, the financial rights holders, because the FIA said yes, Formula 1 have said no to what they often refer to in that document, it's just come out as an 11th team, rather than necessarily Andretti.
"They’re quite rightly saying that for Andretti as a new team, 'novice', as they called them, to build a brand-new car for 2025 and then when the regulations change fundamentally for 2026 to start all over again, it's too much of a tall order. They think they won't be competitive.
"Andretti will no doubt say, 'Well, give us a chance. We're a mighty organisation with a lot of funding, we'll show you what we can do and look at some of the other teams on the grid'. So this is going to run for a good while. Also, a really punchy line in there says that, 'This would do more for the Andretti brand than it would for Formula 1'.
"Of course, there's the logistics too of getting an extra team in the pit lane and around the world for what is a 24-race calendar this year. It's not just as easy as going, 'Well, yeah, let's just put two more cars on the grid'. We've got to get them on the grid, have a garage, have a pit lane big enough, and so on and so forth.
"So I'd say [there is] lots of rationale [in the F1 statement]. This is peak F1 we're in here and the teams no doubt will be saying, 'Hang on a minute. Many of us have poured billions to get Formula 1 where it is now, into our team, and there's demand all over the world for races.
"'Fans, tickets, grandstands have sold out, you can't just come and join our club now when everything's going so well. You're going to have to show us what you can bring to the table'. And F1 have clearly said today, 'You're not bringing enough to let us warrant an extra team on the grid.'"
At the time of writing, Andretti Global and General Motors have yet to issue a response to the F1 statement. The FIA has declined to comment at this time.
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