Why the Andretti and F1 war of words worries me
If the proposed team is turned down, I fear it could have a chilling effect on F1's popularity in America.
Remember the proposed Andretti Cadillac team I told you about last week? It’s already turning into a fiasco.
The majority of existing F1 teams are not overly keen, according to these reports from The Race and Motorsport.com. An official F1 statement also didn’t show much enthusiasm.
Michael Andretti, the man behind the Andretti Cadillac project, has since criticised F1 teams for being “greedy” in a Forbes interview, while FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem took a swing at the “adverse reaction” on Twitter.
This enthralling war of words is classic F1 politics, but it has me worried. I fear fans are the ones who might ultimately lose out.
Michael Andretti wants to create a distinct “all-American” F1 team at a time when F1 is growing in popularity there. In 2023, we will get three American races: Austin, Miami and Las Vegas.
America is a huge market to help the sport grow, and F1 hasn’t always tamed it. Instead, F1’s history with America is blotchy.
Most notably, a debacle in 2005 over tyres at the US Grand Prix led to just six drivers competing in the race. It was a political nightmare that no one was happy about.
The debacle ultimately set back F1’s growth in America as the US Grand Prix later dropped off the calendar for four years.
My fear is that declining an “all-American” Andretti Cadillac F1 team will do exactly what the 2005 US Grand Prix did: frustrate and disenfranchise a heap of fans.
The “Andretti” name is synonymous with American motorsports and Michael Andretti is one of their most accomplished open-wheel racers. His father is also an F1 legend: 1978 championship winner Mario Andretti.
Social media chatter from fans about Andretti Cadillac has tended to be quite positive too. Most people are keen on it.
In one straw poll, conducted on YouTube by The Race, 85% of participants were in favour of letting Andretti Cadillac join the grid (A whopping 109,000 people voted).
So if fans are keen on the idea, how would they react if politics and fine print ultimately derail the partnership?
Would they stop going to races? Would they stay interested in F1?
Amid a sour fan reaction, how would promoters in Austin, Miami and Las Vegas feel?
I doubt they would put their event forward with the same enthusiasm if America’s interest in F1 was declining.
I realise there are a few question marks there because, yes, a lot of uncertainty and conjecture surrounds this line of thinking - and I stress that this is all just my opinion.
But I believe a fan backlash to declining Andretti’s bid is a possibility that the FIA and F1 must consider as they work through expanding the grid.
In other news…
We’re getting closer now to F1 teams finally revealing their 2023 cars (or just their 2023 paint schemes, which is probably what most of us are interested in anyway).
Here’s the schedule of reveals to jot down in your diary:
Feb 3: Red Bull
Feb 6: Williams
Feb 11: AlphaTauri
Feb 13: McLaren and Aston Martin
Feb 14: Ferrari
Feb 15: Mercedes
Feb 16: Alpine
There is still no word on when Haas and Alfa Romeo will reveal their cars.
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