Andretti gets F1 entry approval from FIA
Andretti Formula Racing has gone one step further to securing a place on the Formula 1 grid, follwoing the FIA's approval of the team’s expression of interest to enter the sport.
After months of analysis and deliberation by the sport’s governing body, it has been concluded that the Andretti team will be the only team carried forward into the final selection pool.
Now all that remains is for Andretti to reach a commercial agreement with FOM (Formula One Management), which will be the final stepping stone for the team to make its official entry into F1 from 2025 at the earliest.
But that was always going to be the biggest hurdle to clear for any new F1 team. This is by no means a guarantee that Andretti will be lining up as the 11th team on the grid any time soon.
The crux of the issue is financial. The existing F1 teams are not interested in having their income diluted, and F1 will not risk the delicate balance of its existing members in favour of an unknown entity.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has previously made it clear that any new team in F1 will need to "add value" to the championship as a whole. And that is what the sport will now decide before making a decision on the Andretti entry.
FOM made a short statement in the wake of the FIA's announcement: “We note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement: “The FIA is obliged to approve applications that comply with the Expressions of Interests application requirements and we have adhered to that procedure in deciding that Andretti Formula Racing LLC’s application would proceed to the next stage of the application process.
“Andretti Formula Racing LLC was the only entity which fulfils the selection criteria that was set in all material respects. I congratulate Michael Andretti and his team on a thorough submission. I also want to thank all prospective teams for their interest and participation”.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.
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