Andretti Cadillac issue strong statement in response to F1 rejection

Henry Valantine
Andretti Global and Cadillac logo lockup

Andretti Global and Cadillac saw their bid to enter F1 rejected.

Andretti Cadillac has issued a response to its rejection from entry into Formula 1 in 2025 and 2026, saying they “strongly disagree” with the contents of the report Formula One Management [FOM] supplied.

Having seen their bid to enter Formula 1 approved by the FIA back in October, talks advanced to FOM for commercial considerations, with the findings being released on Wednesday.

FOM denied entry to the prospective team however, citing a lack of added value to the rest of the field and the sport as a whole, among other reasons.

Andretti Cadillac ‘strongly disagree’ with F1 report, ‘work continues at pace’ on F1 project

1978 World Champion Mario Andretti, father of team owner Michael Andretti, said he was “devastated” at the news, and the team themselves have now issued a statement in response to events.

“Andretti Cadillac has reviewed the information Formula One Management Limited has shared and strongly disagree with its contents,” they said.

“Andretti and Cadillac are two successful global motorsports organizations committed to placing a genuine American works team in F1, competing alongside the world’s best.

“We are proud of the significant progress we have already made on developing a highly competitive car and power unit with an experienced team behind it, and our work continues at pace.

“Andretti Cadillac would also like to acknowledge and thank the fans who have expressed their support.”

PlanetF1.com recommends

F1 did not just reject Andretti’s bid…they tore it to absolute pieces

The full 1434-word statement as F1 explain why Andretti bid was rejected

Why did Formula 1 reject the Andretti Cadillac bid?

In a wide-ranging document released on Wednesday afternoon, several conclusions were reached by FOM, whose research took into account sporting and commercial interests before reaching a conclusion, with none of the existing teams consulted before making a decision.

Central to Formula 1’s argument was concluding that the sport did not need an 11th team on the grid, and Andretti in itself would not bring about sufficient added value to necessitate an expansion in the field.

F1 wrote: “Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the Championship.

“The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that [Andretti] would be a competitive participant.”

It added: “The addition of an 11th team would place an operational burden on race promoters, would subject some of them to significant costs, and would reduce the technical, operational and commercial spaces of the other competitors.

“While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around.”

The FIA declined to comment on F1’s statement when approached by PlanetF1.com.

Read next: Andretti F1 entry REJECTED as F1 issues biting bid assessment