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Current Formula 1 team principals have made it clear to Michael Andretti—and anyone else looking for a path to enter F1—that there's one way to break into the club.
Buy a team.
Andretti, however, has found one problem with that seemingly simple, straight-forward answer. No one is selling. And that leaves the Andretti-Cadillac partnership left to rely on the FIA to approve his bid to add an 11th team to the F1 grid.
The FIA has kept the process pretty much a secret, but multiple media outlets are reporting that a decision regarding bids of Andretti and at least one other team could be made public as soon as July 15.
"Our position was very clear—buy a team," said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone last week. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur agreed.
American Zak Brown, who heads the McLaren F1 program, would rather stay out of the discussion.
"There's been a lot of debate about this, and everyone has an opinion, but there's really only two entities that make the decision, Formula 1 and the FIA," Brown said. "So I think, you know, everything has been submitted to them from my point of view. I think it would be easiest if (the newcomers like Andretti) bought one of the 10 teams, and then that way, there wouldn't have to be this debate.
"But you know, to me, it's all about being accretive to the sport. What are they bringing to the table? What's the appropriate size? Franchise fee? I think when we started this journey five, six years ago, the sport was radically different. So yeah, let's see what happens. I think it's in the hands of the decision makers, and hopefully, there'll be a decision soon."
As for Andretti, he's done everything asked of him to be invited to the F1 party. He's even gone out and got the might of General Motors behind the bid. Still, the door appears to be locked.
"We have contacted all the teams, but no one is interested (in selling)," Andretti told reporters at the Extreme E race in Sardinia. "They keep saying 'buy a team', but nobody wants to sell. They are not even interested in a discussion.
"In the end, the teams are not the ones who will make the decision. It will be up to F1 and the FIA to decide if they think us coming in is a good thing."
Andretti's F1 project is also believed to have one driver already just a phone call away, and that's Andretti Autosports' own IndyCar driver Colton Herta.
"Colton is part of the project," Andretti said. "He is still so excited to join us, and I would love for him to be involved in this category. He's tested the McLaren and did very well. I'd like him to be the first competitive American in F1 for a long time."
