Aug.7 (GMM) The saga of whether Andretti-Cadillac will be welcomed to the Formula 1 grid is still the subject of a tug-of-war between the sport’s two separate authorities.
Originally, the FIA set a late June deadline for an announcement about whether up to two new teams will be given the green light for 2025 or 2026.
“We pushed the deadline back because some of the teams asked for more time. And we don’t want to exclude anyone,” FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem told motorsport-total.com.
He admitted that some of the existing teams are “not happy” with the idea of having their value or incomes diluted, but said the FIA must be fair in assessing the potential new entrants.
“We have a contract that says we can have up to 12 teams,” he said. “And we don’t break any rules. On the contrary, we follow them exactly.”
Ben Sulayem admitted that a “manufacturer team from the USA” would be difficult to turn away.
The owner of the sport’s commercial rights, however, appears willing to see Andretti-Cadillac turned away.
“I think (F1 CEO) Stefano (Domenicali) and I agree that there are 10 great teams in Formula 1 already,” Greg Maffei, chief executive of Liberty Media, told investors during a financial conference call.
“The process of selecting new teams has been launched, but the bar is set very high,” he said. “And it’s completely unclear what value the new team could add.”
Maffei admits that Liberty and the FIA are not on the same page.
“We have had a productive discussion with the FIA on these issues,” he said. “Have we reached agreement on all the issues? No.
“The discussion continues, and I hope that we will resolve everything.”
F1 CEO Domenicali expects the outcome of the saga to be known “in September”.
“We will find an agreement together,” said the Italian, “because the value of the teams and Formula 1 is very, very high these days.”
Former F1 driver and German-language pundit Ralf Schumacher thinks Liberty and the FIA will ultimately agree on the outcome.
“There will be a compromise,” he told Sport1. “In the end, the good of the sport is more important than the concerns of individual teams.”