INTERVIEW: Michael Andretti will not take F1 ‘no’ for an answer

When the FIA opened its 'Expressions of Interest' process at the start of February last year, Andretti saw that as his opportunity to finally make it onto the F1 grid after failing on two previous occasions, once in 2018 when he tried to buy Force India, and again three years ago when he was two days away from completing a takeover of Sauber, only for the goalposts to move considerably.

Joining forces with General Motors, via the use of its Cadillac brand, Andretti submitted a 600-page document to the FIA detailing its sporting and technical prowess. Of the entries submitted, motorsport's world governing body approved the bid last October.

That left the obstacle of F1 to overcome and its assessment of Andretti on the financial front, and the value it would bring to the sport. The omens were not good given the constant mumblings in the background from the other 10 team principals regarding a dilution of the $1.25 billion (£990 million) prize fund. After helping F1 through the Covid crisis and seeing their values soar in recent years, the teams felt an 11th team would be detrimental to their worth.

After four months of keeping Andretti waiting on tenterhooks, F1 delivered a damning verdict on the team's prospects, claiming it 'did not believe the applicant would be a competitive participant', and that they would not bring value to the sport. "Our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around,” read a statement.

Many would have walked away at that point, likely believing it futile to continue to throw money at the project when faced with a brick wall they knew they would have to keep banging their head against.

Andretti, however, is made of sterner stuff. You may consider him foolhardy for wanting to continue in the face of such withering criticism, but the 61-year-old American has not made a name for himself in motorsport without having to roll up his sleeves and take a few blows en route to the success he has enjoyed.

Andretti knows that whilst the teams had no say in the verdict from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, the constant carping in his ear ultimately took its toll, despite the apparently exhaustive research carried out by his team.

“We were initially told by Formula 1 that it would be hard for us to gain an entry, but that if we brought in an OEM [original equipment manufacturer], then we’re basically in,” said Andretti. "Unfortunately, the goalposts then started moving a bit, and I think it was because of pressure from the teams. When they started complaining, that was the big thing. It then put Formula One Management in a bad position.

"It's been our job since to show that we're going to bring a lot more to the party than the piece of pie we're going to take out." There's the rub, though: how to prove Andretti will add value, even if he may be a storied name (certainly in America), given not only his exploits but that of his father Mario, the 1978 F1 champion. As a team owner, Andretti is a six-time winner of the Indy 500. His teams also compete in Formula E, Extreme E, and Australian Supercars. As for GM, its racing pedigree is second to none.

In refusing to take 'no' for an answer, Andretti has not stood still. A new UK base was opened at Silverstone in April, and 130 staff - many with considerable F1 experience, have been recruited in the anticipation that, one way or another, the team will compete in F1.

"I don't think people realise the effort that's being put in here, and that's what we're working on showing, that this is a huge effort," said Andretti. "It's going to be as big an effort as any of the big OEMs are putting into the series today.

"This is a true partnership with GM. They are not only doing the engine, but they're also very involved in chassis development. We've already run parts in the wind tunnel. We've crash-tested the nose, and we've done the side crash test. There's a lot that's been going on, and GM is very, very much involved in all of it."

From GM's perspective, Eric Warren, executive director of Motorsports Competition, insists the American manufacturing giant is committed to the project and "will not let it fail. Our company races, and has raced successfully, in every race series we compete in. Anyone who looks will see that, and there are many high-level, experienced F1 personnel consistently at our door. They see what we're doing.

"The people that know what we're doing, as far as developing the car: all the subsystem developments, the facilities, any of the technical disciplines, aerodynamics, all the CFD work, all the AI strategy work. In those systems we race at a competitive level in a lot of series.

"We do not underestimate the technical challenge in Formula 1, but we also understand how to race. We understand how to recruit talent, and we certainly understand how to invest in technology and use the strength of our company and our partners that happen to also be many of the partners that the rest of the industry works with on a regular basis. We feel like we can prove that, are proving that, and we'll continue to do so. We owe it to our fans and the two brands to bring something unique to them."

Andretti's fight is such that even Congress, the legislative arm of the United States government, has now become involved, as it is demanding answers from F1 as to why it rejected the application, since when Michael and Mario have held discussions with Domenicali. Andretti would like to believe Domenicali's eyes have been opened to a certain extent. As to whether that will lead to the goal of being in F1 in 2026, the odds would appear to remain long. "Since they've seen what we're doing, I think they're analysing it differently," he said. "Hopefully, they're seeing it the way we are. It [the recent talks] sounded like it was definitely more positive.

"We're building the team as we speak. We are up to 120-some people. We're going ahead as if we are going to be in. Obviously, for us, the sooner we get an answer the better because there is a lot of other good talent on the sidelines that would love to join us, but they're not going to give up their job unless they know we're in for sure.

"That's the biggest problem we have, but we still feel like we can easily make '26 from where we are. We never got a final ‘no’."

It could be that Andretti and GM will have to wait until 2028, when the latter will have a power unit ready to take on the might of the Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, Audi, and Red Bull powertrains, all of which will have had a two-year head start given that new engine rules commence in '26. For now, Andretti is digging his heels in. "No question about it," he said when asked if this was the toughest fight of his career. "It's a fight I never thought we'd have to fight, to beg to get into the series.

"But hopefully the effort's going to be worth it, and when we finally do, it's going to feel that much more satisfying and gratifying."

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.