The 1978 Formula 1 world champion posted on social media he was “devastated” when F1 rejected Andretti and
The F1 rejection came after a six-month review of Andretti's application and the reasoning for the denial was taken personally by both Mario and
Among F1's claims were that it did not believe Andretti would be a competitive team; that the Andretti name does not bring the value to the series that
“I was offended, actually. I don’t think we deserved that, to be honest with you,”
As for F1 questioning
“That’s another offensive statement there. We’re the ones that worked it out, and
Andretti then pointed to his forearm and pretended to slice a vein to show his commitment to the F1 effort.
Andretti Cadillac last week opened a new facility for its F1 operation in Silverstone,
“We only had one meeting with them. That’s a problem. We haven’t had enough. I think that’s why I really welcome our next meeting. You know, let’s sit down,” Andretti said. "There were some opportunities missed along the way, but we’ve got to look forward, not back. I’m remaining hopeful because we never stop working towards this. It was made clear that our work is at pace, and as you can see we’re not just talking. We’re putting brick and mortar together. We’ve shown that with the team that already has a place in Silverstone.
“We’re trying to say ‘We’ll do whatever you ask of us. We’ll do whatever is there. Now, if you think of something, you tell us,'” Andretti continued. “But they haven’t told us yet except for some excuses like, ‘Oh we don’t want you coming on, we don’t want you to be embarrassed.’ But we don’t want to embarrass ourselves, and the fact is
“The rules say that 11 or 12 teams is legal,” said Andretti, who added the team is committed to fielding entries in F2 and F3 to facilitate some American talents. “We’re all-in, and I don’t know what else to do.”
Andretti, who won 12 F1 races and one championship, is considered one of the greatest drivers of all time and said he's treated with respect at F1 events. He doesn't understand why the same courtesy is not extended to his son, Michael, who ran 13 races in one ill-fated, shortened 1993 season.
“I still don’t know what the reasons are because let’s be reasonable. We’re all racers. We all are professionals. We’re trying to advance the cause for all of us,” Andretti said. “I’ve never been disrespected as a person face-to-face, but it’s been at a distance, and I don’t think we deserve that.”
Andretti said the team goal is to be on the F1 grid in 2026 and when they told that to FOM, series representatives said they had been under the assumption the team wanted to be on the grid in 2025. Andretti said 2026 remains the goal even though this process began in 2021 with Andretti's failed attempt to purchase Sauber.
He also said that F1's refusal to admit Andretti is “definitely about the financial side, no question about it,” in that the existing 10 teams don't want to share any of the revenue with a newcomer.
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