Andretti Global: No F1 seat, but Silverstone / Formula 1 seat

Many Formula 1 fans believed it was an early April Fool’s joke: at the end of January 2024, Formula 1 rejected the entry of Michael Andretti’s planned GP racing team “Andretti Global” in 2026, although the world motor sports association FIA was has given him a son. racing legend Mario Andretti was given the green light and found his F1 project worthwhile.

At the time, Formula 1 justified its rejection of an eleventh GP racing team as follows: “Our evaluation process has shown that the presence of an eleventh team would not represent any additional value to the championship. The most important way a new entrant can provide value it is through its competition. “We do not believe that the applicant would be competitive,” F1 said coldly.

The Andretti name has “a certain level of recognition” among Formula 1 fans, but “a series would bring added value to the brand and not the other way around”.

Not every GP viewer can agree with this opinion. Many users on social networks said: “If Andretti and partners General Motors and Cadillac do not provide any additional value to the first class, then who will?”

Opinion remains: The ten GP racing teams under the umbrella of Formula 1 do not want to participate with the eleventh team. Food envy instead of foresight.

Michael Andretti does not allow himself to be offended. He firmly believes that one day he will return to Formula 1 as a racing team boss (he was a McLaren driver in 1993).

For this reason, he opened a racing car factory in Silverstone on April 10. Andretti is well aware that many skilled workers work in England, and not all of them want to work in the USA.

Andretti Global said: “We have taken our next step towards involvement in Formula 1. We have opened a new factory at Silverstone Park. In addition to 80 experts from Andretti Cadillac UK, Mario and Michael Andretti also attended the event.

The team continues: “We work in this building with flexible spaces and in completely different areas – prototypes, manufacturing, electronics, research and development, conference rooms. We have the opportunity there to pick up speed if the situation demands. The new plant is a logical extension of our Indiana headquarters and our Formula E location in Banbury.

«The Formula 1 project is moving forward, with work in Silverstone, Indiana and at the GM Tech Center in North Carolina. We have been working for some time to find and hire professionals in the areas of aerodynamics, mechanics and vehicle dynamics. Individual divisions at Silverstone will be completed as needed.

“We have always maintained that our work continues, and the new work is a clear sign of this. Even for the American team, there is no way to have a base in Europe to attract the best talent in the industry and build the best infrastructure.