F1 has NO EXCUSES to decline Andretti bid after British driver wins WORLD TITLE

Andretti Autosport

F1 has NO EXCUSES to decline Andretti bid after British driver wins WORLD TITLE

The title was sealed in fine style and is another feather in Andretti's cap that F1 can't ignore

Joe Ellis

Wednesday 2 August 2023 15:57

Michael Andretti and his Andretti Autosport team are not relenting in their attempt to join the F1 grid at the earliest possibility.

2024 is definitely too soon for the American outfit and 2025 may well end up being so too but they are making it very hard for F1 to ignore and turn down their request.

Andretti has already secured the support of General Motors and Cadillac should F1 grant them a spot on the grid, ticking a major box for the bosses of the sport.

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And now they have another arrow in their quiver after one of their drivers won an FIA world title at the weekend.

Dennis the menace

At the ExCel Centre in London over the weekend of 29/30 July, Formula E hosted the final races of the 2023 season which saw Avalanche Andretti's Jake Dennis become world champion.

The Briton had come close in previous seasons with the American team and chose to stick with them this year rather than join one of the big manufacturers in the sport.

WORLD. CHAMPION. 🏆@JakeDennis19 secures the title at his home race! 🇬🇧@Hankook_Sport #LondonEPrix pic.twitter.com/eY2pV2sjdX
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) July 29, 2023

On the way to the title, Dennis and Andretti outclassed the likes of Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar and Nissan who would all be granted a spot in F1 in the blink of an eye if they made a bid.

Ex-F1 drivers Jean-Eric Vergne, Sebastien Buemi and Stoffel Vandoorn couldn't lay a glove on Dennis all year, proving how good he and the team were over 16 races.

What else do they need to do?

Andretti has already got a manufacturer on board as F1 mentioned it would need and it has already confirmed it is willing to pay the extortionate price needed to just get on the grid.

Outside of those commitments, Andretti Autosport has assured that it will also field a team in Formula 2 and Formula 3 to create a clear pathway to F1.

That commitment wasn't even a requirement for the sport and yet they are going to do it anyway if they get accepted, proving just how much they believe and care about the project.

And now they have a world champion driver; F1 cannot ignore Andretti anymore and at a time when they really need to capitalise on the American market, getting the biggest name in American motorsport has to be a good thing.

The NASCAR dilemma

Andretti has revealed recently that he would still like to get a team in NASCAR which could be a bit of a red flag for F1 if it sees itself becoming less of a priority.

The newly-built Andretti facility could be home to five or six different disciplines if their plans come off

But then you have to look at the new facility the team has built purely to make room for an F1 team alongside projects in IndyCar, IMSA, Formula E and Extreme E.

Andretti also has part-ownership of a team in the Supercars Championship in Australia but a global presence isn't a bad thing.

In fact, that is exactly what F1 is looking for so what are you waiting for?