Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko is insistent that Andretti joining Formula 1 isn’t good for the sport, due to believing that some circuits won’t have room for an 11th team in the pit-lane.
It was recently announced by the FIA that they’d granted Andretti permission to enter F1, with it now being down to the sport itself to make the final decision.
Only McLaren and Alpine have spoken in favour of the American outfit joining the grid, with others having concerns over the prize fund being divided 11 ways instead of 10.
In Marko’s eyes, Andretti joining would also decrease the value of every team currently on the grid, something he insists “nobody wants”.
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The 80-year-old has also questioned where exactly Andretti would fit in the pit-lane at certain venues, with the Austrian noting that some are already “maxed out in terms of space”.
One option would be for teams to reduce the size of their hospitality suites but again, Marko is adamant that the current teams won’t want that to happen.
“An eleventh team means that not only does each team have to give away more of the money pie, but also that the value of each individual team falls,” Marko told F1-Insider.com. “Of course, nobody wants that.
“Most race tracks are maxed out in terms of space. Where are you supposed to put an additional team in the already very narrow pit lanes? In the paddock, you would probably have to reduce the size of the hospitalities. But the teams are not interested in that.”
The FIA and F1 are in a real battle currently, with the two not seeing eye-to-eye.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has insisted that F1 has room for two more teams, whereas F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali isn’t keen on the grid expanding beyond 10 teams.
With the governing body having gotten involved in the way they have, one of F1-Insider’s sources fear that it could result in a trip to court.
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“Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem are like cats and dogs,” F1-Insider’s unnamed source said.
“The dispute about a possible entry of the Andretti team could now cause the spark to explode.
“There will be a power struggle. It could also end in a court battle lasting many years. The loser will be the sport.”