Formula 1 announced Wednesday that it would formally deny Andretti and Cadillac’s bid to enter the series in 2026.
The series said that the Andretti name doesn’t carry enough recognition for its fans.
“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 released statement said.
The FIA originally approved the team’s bid to join the series, but F1 and its shareholders denied that wish officially on Wednesday.
F1, which saw one of its 10 teams win 21 races of the 22 events the series had a year ago, stated that Andretti was not considered talented enough.
“Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the championship,” the statement said. “The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the applicant would be a competitive participant.”
Meanwhile, Andretti Autosport has won 18 total championships across three disciplines of racing and has earned six Indianapolis 500 championships during its existence.
Some current drivers from around motorsports shared their opinions on the news over social media.
I was on the fence anyway, but I think I'm done watching F1
— Ron Capps (@RonCapps28) January 31, 2024
Andretti has insisted that his team would be ready for the 2025 F1 season, but even the promise of being ready in an overtly aggressive timeline was viewed as a negative in F1’s eyes.
“That this would involve a novice entrant building two completely different cars in its first two years of existence,” the statement said. “The fact that the Applicant proposes to do so gives us reason to question their understanding of the scope of the challenge involved.”
F1’s 2024 season is set to open March 2 in Bahrain.
