the American Andretti team will not enter the paddock because it is deemed “not competitive enough”

F1 has decided, and it’s no! The application of the American team Andretti Formula Racing to become the 11th Formula 1 team by 2025 or 2026 has been rejected, F1 announced Wednesday January 31 in a press release. Despite an agreement in principle from the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the integration of a newcomer had to be evaluated by Liberty Media, holder of the Formula 1 rights.

For F1 decision-makers, an Andretti team would not bring any added value to the current circuit, despite the announced partnership between the team and General Motors. “Our evaluation process established that the presence of an 11th team would not, in itself, add value to the championship. The best way for a new team to provide value would be to be competitive. We do not believe this candidate would be a competitive participant.”declares Liberty Media to justify the rejection of the American team’s candidacy.

The Formula 1 world championship organizer, however, left the door open for a long-term arrival of Andretti, considering “differently a bid to enter the championship in 2028 with an engine supplied by General Motors. In this case, there would be other factors to consider regarding the value that the candidate would bring to the championship, particularly with the arrival of a new prestigious manufacturer as an engine manufacturer in the discipline.”