The Andretti Global team doesn’t give up, it’s alive and fighting. In the battle to finally enter Formula 1 as the 11th team, after the OK received from the FIA which was however followed by the clear denial expressed by the FOM, the American team played at the relaunch by placing an effective coup which demonstrates how the plans of Michael Andretti and his family have not changed at all.
In fact, through its official profile Andretti Global announced that it had hired the technician Pat Symonds, a 70-year-old British engineer with a great past in F1 with – among others – Benetton, Renault and Williams. More recently Symonds held the role of Chief Technical Officer for F1 itself. “Symonds – reads the press release – will officially join the team at the new Silverstone operational base at the end of his leave period”. A few lines earlier, the team’s objective was explained once again: “Entering the FIA Formula 1 World Championship”.
In terms of image, the Symonds coup is very important for the Andretti family, who are working hard at Silverstone, reasoning as if they really should make their F1 debut in 2026. However, another good news for Americans has arrived from the motherland. In fact, the US Congress is continuing to carry out its battle against the FOM and against the US Liberty Media, accused of having denied through “obvious anti-competitive actions” the team’s entry into F1.
According to the authoritative website The Athletic, six US senators have asked the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the FOM’s decision to reject Andretti’s candidacy for entry into the grid in the 2025 or 2026 seasons. According to a copy of the letter obtained by The Athletic, the bipartisan group of senators suggested that “it is possible that such a deal block – especially if orchestrated through a group boycott – could violate U.S. antitrust laws.” The “group boycott” would obviously be the one implemented by the other ten teams.
#Andretti #coup #Pat #Symonds #Congress #puts #FOM #crosshairs