FIA president tells Andretti to buy a F1 team

Andretti should buy an existing team rather than try to set up their own to enter Formula 1, the president of the sport’s governing body has said.

Andretti’s bid to enter F1 in 2025 or 2026 has been rejected by commercial rights holders Liberty Media, although the door has been left open for an entry in 2028.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who previously backed Andretti’s bid, said he remained supportive of the idea of more teams but said quality was more important than quantity.

Ben Sulayem said: “I would advise them to go and buy another team, not to come as the 11th team.

“I feel that some teams need to be refreshed. What is better? To have 11 teams as a number or 10 and they are strong?

“I still believe we should have more teams. But not any teams. The right teams.”

Ben Sulayem did not say which teams he was referring to, but the obvious candidates for a sale are Alpine and Haas.

However, senior F1 sources say that Alpine owners Renault and US industrialist Gene Haas are not interested in selling.

Andretti’s bid has long been contentious.

Owner Michael Andretti, the former IndyCar and F1 driver and son of US racing legend Mario Andretti, has aggressively pursued an entry and his actions have upset many senior figures in F1.

The latest controversy revolves around a request by six US senators to set up an anti-trust inquiry against F1 because of its decision to reject Andretti’s bid.

US car company General Motors is backing Andretti’s bid and has said it wants to build its own engine to ensure it can enter in 2028.

Ben Sulayem said he had “no doubt” that Formula 1 Management and Liberty would “love” to see new teams on the grid “as long as they are OEMs [car manufacturers]”.