Andretti Global have been building a project to join the Formula 1 grid for a number of years but have so far been unsuccessful in their plan.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been very clear that Formula 1 currently do not have any plans to expand the current grid but president of the FIA Mohammed Ben Sulayem appears to have other ideas.
The 61-year-old has taken to Twitter to welcome the advances of the Andretti project after they partnered with Global Motors to form Andretti-Cadillac.
The addition of a 11th team to the grid has got a mixed reception so far, with many of the existing teams opposing to the idea of expanding the grid.
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner how now explained why the teams are against the Andretti-Cadillac project, highlighting money as the main issue.
“Look, Andretti is a great brand, a great team. Mario, what he did in Formula 1 – as an American as well – is fantastic. Obviously GM with Cadillac as well would be two phenomenal brands to have in the sport, and I don’t think there can be any dispute about that,” he told RACER.
“As with all these things though, it ultimately boils down to, ‘well, who’s going to pay for it?’ And you can assume that the teams, if they’re perceived to be the ones who are paying for it – or diluting their payments to accommodate it – of course it’s not going to sit well.
“The two teams that are supporting it [McLaren and Alpine] either have a partnership in the US with them, or are going to supply them with an engine. The other eight are saying, ‘well hang on, why should we dilute our element of the prize fund.
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“Then on the other side you’ve got the Liberty [Media] guys saying, ‘well we’re not going to pay for it, we’re happy with 10 health, competitive franchises from an operational perspective – garages, logistics, motorhomes – it’s all more to accommodate’. I’m sure they would prefer the Audi model, where they come in and acquire an existing franchise.
“If you introduce another one or two teams, you dilute the value of the current 10 franchises, which of course teams – particularly down towards the bottom end of the grid – have got a very inflated inherent value at the moment.”
An agreement between F1 and the FIA is key to the Andretti-Cadillac project, as Ben Sulayem does not have the power to add another team to the grid without the approval of Formula 1.