by VALERIO BARRETTA
No of F1, Andretti's bitterness
Few words, those that serve and are sufficient to describe a state of mind that is understandable in truth. After years of efforts, investments, forging sometimes very difficult relationships, the dream of Formula 1 went up in smoke for Mario Andretti. At least for 2025 and 2026, the family of Big Foot will have to give up joining the Circus, as announced by F1 this afternoon.
Andretti's reaction
The 1978 world champion entrusted his very first words to social media after today's disappointment.
“I'm devastated. I won't say anything else why I can't find any words other than devastated“.
The reasons for the no
Andretti's chase started first with the (failed) attempt to purchase Sauber, then with the response to the FIA's call for teams that wanted to enter Formula 1 starting from 2025 at the earliest. Four applications were received by the Federation regulars, of which only Andretti's made the first cut. Having received the approval of President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the American started a discussion with the F1 commercial rights holders (FOM/Liberty Media). The talks, however, led to black smoke: formally, F1 explained its “no” with the lack of added value that Andretti would have brought to the championship and the absence of guarantees on the team's competitiveness; essentially, the pressure from the teams (which would have seen the slice of the pie deriving from TV rights, sponsors and prizes reduced) and the absence of an agreement with General Motors before 2028 weighed heavily.
#Andretti #speechless #I39m #devastated
