Martin Brundle identifies potential Andretti issue as big F1 wish made clear
Andretti are pushing on with their F1 preparations.
Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle has warned there is no guarantee that Andretti would be competitive in F1, but is keen to see more cars on the grid in the near future regardless.
Andretti have made a strong effort to secure an F1 entry over the last 12 months, joining forces with General Motors brand Cadillac – who have committed to becoming an engine supplier from 2028 – to put forward an offer they hope F1 cannot refuse.
Despite landing FIA approval in October, Andretti are still struggling to convince F1’s commercial rights holders Liberty Media and most of the existing 10 teams that they merit a place on the grid.
Martin Brundle on Andretti F1 hopes
Brundle has admitted to having reservations over Andretti’s proposal, claiming a glamorous name alone is not enough to secure an F1 entry.
With F1 containing just 10 teams since the Manor operation folded in early 2017, however, the former grand prix star is keen to see more competition in the pit lane.
In response to a fan’s question during a Sky F1 Q&A session, Brundle said: “With my TV cap on and my F1 fan cap on, I’d like to see another team and two more cars and drivers on the grid.
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“Andretti is a great name, but on the other side of the coin they’ve never really built their own car, they haven’t really dominated IndyCar in recent years or any of the other categories.
“So it’s not given that just because it’s called Andretti, it’ll be competitive.
“I can understand why Formula 1 and the other teams are going: ‘Hang on a minute. F1 is in a very good place now, you can’t just join this club when we’ve gone through the years and the decades of losing money and putting lots of capital expenditure and huge amounts of budget into all this.’
“So I get it all. I think you have to look at it and say it’s Team A from America: can they put together a credible competition on the grid? And what do they bring to F1?
“I think you have to lose the emotion of the Andretti name and take a rational decision, but I would like to see more cars on the grid.”
Brundle’s comments come after Mark Gallagher, the F1 business expert, revealed “there is a degree of personal acrimony” between Andretti and the existing teams, many of whom were left unimpressed by the American outfit’s forceful approach to securing an entry.
Gallagher claimed that some team principals believe team owner Michael Andretti has no “capacity or understanding of what it is really going to take to run a Formula 1 team” after face-to-face meetings with the F1 hopefuls.
The former Jordan, Red Bull and Cosworth man went on to suggest that F1 should not hesitate to reject Andretti’s bid if the team’s business plan is based primarily on prize money, claiming the team must prove it is a sustainable enterprise.
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