FIA officially approves Andretti's F1 entry

[John S]

Well Ben Sulayem seems to have put the FOM in a space between a rock and a hard place granting a slot to Andretti. Hardly surprising to me since the big dust up and legal letter to him from Liberty. I reckon FOM/Liberty have forgotten just who really governs, and owns F1.

In FIA press release there's wording “The FIA is acting in accordance with EU directives on motorsport participation and development” - this part interests me the most.
What are these EU directives, and if F1 says no to Andretti does this mean FOM are in breach of them? .........As I said a rock & a hard place. 

Thought at least Haas who got a chance with the Big Boys courtesy of FIA just a few years back may be more onside. But no, they too have huge golden dollar signs obscuring their vision like most other teams.

At least us here on GPWizard welcome them - well I do!

https://www.pitpass.com/76271/FIA-approves-Andrettis-F1-entry

[Dare]

Yeah I'd like to see a real US team in F1 not one
that should have stayed with the good ol boys

[Andy B]

It would be good to get back to 12 teams!

[lkjohnson1950]

Crash says FOM still need to approve before Andretti is an official entrant.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1037277/1/fia-approve-andretti-s-team-entry-f1-still-need-agree

[Andy B]

Crash says FOM still need to approve before Andretti is an official entrant.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1037277/1/fia-approve-andretti-s-team-entry-f1-still-need-agree

That's true but I would be surprised if they get rejected.

[cosworth151]

Crash says FOM still need to approve before Andretti is an official entrant.
That's true but I would be surprised if they get rejected.

I never take any action of the FIA for granted. They always remind me of something Yoga Berra said - "It ain't over til it's over."

I'll still be a Haas fan. I've always backed the minnows that punch above their weight. My Haas shirt hangs with my Super Aguri and Minardi shirts.

[Jericoke]

I know that it's far from a 'sure thing' that Andretti will actually make the grid, but I'm excited about it.

I do have a question though:  Toyota took an extra year 'off' of Formula One to do testing to make sure they joined the sport at full speed.  With the current rules, could Andretti build and test an unofficial F1 car with unlimited testing/budget in a year that they're not actually competing?

[lkjohnson1950]

Good question. Alia probably knows.

[Alianora La Canta]

I do have a question though:  Toyota took an extra year 'off' of Formula One to do testing to make sure they joined the sport at full speed.  With the current rules, could Andretti build and test an unofficial F1 car with unlimited testing/budget in a year that they're not actually competing?

No. If Andretti wanted to do that, it had to do it before signing on with the FIA. It's now bound by the budget cap regulations (which are administered by the FIA) for every year until it ceases to compete. However, this does mean it can spread its startup costs over 2023 and 2024 (the cap resets at the calendar year) and still have a full budget to develop in 2025. It could start quite strong if it plans its entry well...

Before 2020 (when the budget cap had its "dry run"), Andretti would have been able to do the Toyota trick (as much good as it did Toyota).

Crash says FOM still need to approve before Andretti is an official entrant.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1037277/1/fia-approve-andretti-s-team-entry-f1-still-need-agree

Crash is wrong. If Andretti wants to be on the grid in 2026, Liberty Media can't stop them. It might tear its hair out because without that deal, Andretti can charge what it wants for any footage that accidentally includes their team. But that would be Liberty Media's problem, not Andretti's. If Liberty Media tried to stop Andretti from joining the paddock by not honouring their FIA-issued passes, for example, the EU would be in a position to sue for prohibited governance interference by the commercial operator (an obstacle that football, for example, never has to consider). The FIA, keen to secure their power, would likely join the EU's side.

The issue is that if it competes now, without a Liberty Media deal, Andretti can't get prize money, which it probably is counting on to make the project viable in the long term. Backers are likely to want the Liberty Media deal before signing any long contracts.

[John S]

Crash says FOM still need to approve before Andretti is an official entrant.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1037277/1/fia-approve-andretti-s-team-entry-f1-still-need-agree

Crash is wrong. If Andretti wants to be on the grid in 2026, Liberty Media can't stop them. It might tear its hair out because without that deal, Andretti can charge what it wants for any footage that accidentally includes their team. But that would be Liberty Media's problem, not Andretti's. If Liberty Media tried to stop Andretti from joining the paddock by not honouring their FIA-issued passes, for example, the EU would be in a position to sue for prohibited governance interference by the commercial operator (an obstacle that football, for example, never has to consider). The FIA, keen to secure their power, would likely join the EU's side.

The issue is that if it competes now, without a Liberty Media deal, Andretti can't get prize money, which it probably is counting on to make the project viable in the long term. Backers are likely to want the Liberty Media deal before signing any long contracts.

I think also that most of the discussion on F1 websites are missing the likelihood of the FIA playing hard ball with liberty - and hence the teams - over the 2026 Concorde agreement if Andretti gets black balled.

It's my understanding that FIA is a 'Principal' not just a participant in the said Concorde deals. Therefore, by insisting on reasonable reward clauses for 12 teams rather than 10 should open both Liberty's and the existing teams' eyes. Especially if FIA insists unused reward monies for 11th or 12th team go to their Worldwide road safety campaign instead of being redistributed amongst other participants. Ergo by this, or other means in new Concorde, Andretti can be guaranteed a slot on 2026 grid.
This could probably also allow FIA to add another team in future if the right applicant is found.

Liberty keeps pushing for more races, think upper limit set is 24, so why not balance the scales with 24 cars on track. 

[Andy B]

Well put John I quite agree.

[Willy]

I would welcome Andretti as an F1 entrant.
It will bring more North American viewers to F1 as the name alone has great racing history.

[cosworth151]

A good overview of all of the financial issues involved with adding another team. There's a lot more involved then we thought.

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/formula-1/a45508308/pure-greed-is-just-one-reason-f1-doesnt-want-andretti/

[lkjohnson1950]

Andretti has a new problem: he's lost his engine supply guarantee. Can't enter without it.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1037942/1/fresh-blow-andretti-s-f1-plans-renault-engine-option-expires

[Jericoke]

Andretti has a new problem: he's lost his engine supply guarantee. Can't enter without it.

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1037942/1/fresh-blow-andretti-s-f1-plans-renault-engine-option-expires

My understanding was that the engine suppliers were required to be able to support 'up to 3 teams', specifically so a team wouldn't find itself without a supplier. Basically if Ferrari, Mercedes and RBPT won't supply Andretti, then Alpine, with the smallest number of teams, would be required to do so at a set contract price?

Or is it a technicality that only applies to teams that have already competed?  Like say Williams and Mercedes part ways?