SUMMARY
- IndyCar driver, Scott McLaughlin takes to X to express his opinon on Andretti's bid for F1.
- F1's rejection of Andretti's bid has left fans confused over the sport's motive.
Andretti Motorsport has been one of the top racing teams in the US. They currently race in IndyCar, Formula E, and Extreme E. The team also takes part in several individual events in the US like IMSA. They have been trying to get their team in F1 for a long time now. In 2023, their bid to enter the grid in 2026 was accepted by the FIA. This left only 1 more approval stage for the team.
Not too long ago, Formula 1 rejected Andretti Motorsport’s bid to enter the sport in 2025 and 2026. This has created a lot of confusion and chaos among the fans. There is no doubt that F1 is trying to penetrate the US market. However, they don’t want a well-renowned American team in the sport. IndyCar driver, Scott McLaughlin has expressed his opinion on the matter.
IndyCar driver throws shade at Formula 1
Following F1’s decision to reject the bid, most of the fans based in the US were upset. Over the years, Formula 1 has increased the number of races in the US. They have also held several promotional events in the country to try and boost the sport’s popularity. This was one of the reasons fans thought Andretti had a good chance at entering the sport.
A racing series wants to expand into America. But won’t allow any more American teams in it. Makes sense
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) January 31, 2024
However, when F1 said Andretti was not valuable enough without the partnership of GM, it created chaos. Fans took to social media to express their disappointment. Mario Andretti tweeted saying he was devastated by F1’s decision.
IndyCar driver, Scott McLaughlin also expressed his opinion on the matter. He bragged about how IndyCar is more entertaining than F1 as the cars have equal performance. He went on to tweet about the confusing decision F1 made.
It’s alright. Take your 10 teams. We will have 27 cars within a second in a few weeks, having zero idea Sunday morning who’s going to win the race. All the very best. LFG @IndyCar
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) January 31, 2024
F1 released a statement justifying their decision. This justification only created more chaos. The sport claimed that Andretti was not valuable alone for the sport. They felt that entering the sport would benefit the American team more than it would benefit the sport. However, F1 encouraged Andretti to apply once again for the 2028 season with GM’s partnership.
Andretti Global issues statement following F1 rejection
Following the decisions, Andretti and Cadilac issued a statement of disappointment with F1’s decision. They feel that their brand is extremely valuable in the United States and could do wonders for the sport. This is true given that Andretti is one of the most successful racing teams in the US.
There is already one American racing team in F1, Haas. However, this team has not been able to develop their car and has received a lot of criticism. Fans have also criticized Gene Haas for not investing enough money in the team. There is no doubt that Andretti would have a much larger investment than Haas.
Statement from Andretti Cadillac: 👇
It states that both organisations “strongly disagree” with the contents of the FOM statement released earlier today ❌
More to follow…#F1 pic.twitter.com/D8Ll0Ag9jv
— Autosport (@autosport) January 31, 2024
There are some fans asking Andretti to just buy the Haas F1 team as it would be certain. However, it is not that simple. It is unlikely that Gene would want to sell the team unless he knows that he will not be able to profit from it. Given the value of the sport now, it is highly unlikely that any of the existing teams would want to leave the grid. Hence, the market value of each of the teams would be extremely high. Probably in the billions even.
It will be interesting to see how Andretti reacts to this scenario. Will they apply to enter the grid in 2028 once again, or will they settle for having teams in almost every other racing league? Post your answers in the comments section below.