Official: F1 rejects Andretti’s candidacy as the 11th team for 2026

The statement is clear, the application is rejected: « Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the Championship. The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the Candidate would be a competitive participant. »

The International Automobile Federation had however evaluated the team’s ability to comply with the technical and sporting regulations and had given its green light last fall causing numerous debates about the FIA/F1 agreement.

Stefano Domenicali, director of F1 for Liberty Media, the shareholder and owner of the world championship, then announced that Andretti’s file would be studied to analyze the financial aspect and the interest for the current teams, the Grand Prix promoters, and the shareholder of the entry of an 11th team in F1.

Andretti had then announced, to strengthen its credibility, having the support of General Motors group with the presence of the Cadillac brand as a technical provider. The engine of the team was to be selected from those currently present, and the Alpine engine had already been mentioned several times as a favorite.

The Financial Aspect Studied

The sporting criteria were therefore not really taken into account. The 20 points of the statement are mainly focused on the commercial interest that Andretti’s entry into F1 could have on Formula 1 and on the value of the teams and the championship.

Liberty Media explains that the following points were taken into account:

a. consideration of the likely competitiveness of the Applicant’s entry, and its impact on value;
b. consideration of the Applicant’s arrangements with respect to the supply of Power Units and the impact that those arrangements would have on the Applicant’s competitive performance;
c. research into the potential benefits the Applicant might bring in terms of fan growth, and fan engagement, as well as a review of the equivalent materials prepared by C|T Group on behalf of the Applicant;
d. consultation with key stakeholders to understand their view of the value that the Applicant would bring;
e. consideration of the operational impact on our existing circuits of adding an 11th team;
f. consideration of the likely impact of the Applicant’s entry on the Commercial Rights Holder’s financial results as an indicator of value; and
g. consideration of the Applicant’s financial sustainability based on the materials provided.

The Sporting Aspect Ignored

The statement therefore reveals no consultation of the fans themselves, nor even of the teams currently registered in the F1 world championship: « Our evaluation did not involve any consultation with the current F1 teams » the statement surprisingly explains.

Yet, having more cars on the grid and therefore more drivers would have allowed many fans to have something to increase the level of interest. Most of the teams had indeed shown support for the arrival of an 11th team, if the entry fees were raised sufficiently to allow for compensation gain for the dilution generated by the arrival of an 11th team.

The statement explains that an entry in 2025 would have been too premature given the technical regulations changing in 2026. The statement explains that arriving in 2026 would have also been too complicated:

« We do not believe that there is a basis for a new applicant to be admitted in 2025 given that it would involve building two completely different cars during its first two years of existence. »

« The fact that it proposes to do so gives us reason to question their understanding of the scope of the challenge involved. » details the statement.

« Although an entry in 2026 would not face this specific problem, it nevertheless remains that Formula 1, as the pinnacle of world motorsport, represents a unique technical challenge for constructors of a nature that the Candidate has never faced, in any other formula or discipline in which it has previously competed, and it proposes to do so while being dependent on an engine supplier in the initial years of its participation. On this basis, we do not believe that the Candidate would be a competitive participant. »

Leaving the Door Open for 2028

However, the door is open for 2028 with different conditions, in particular the arrival of a GM (General Motors) factory team and not just a “technical partnership” or “sponsorship” with GM. Indeed, the 20th point of the statement explains:

« We would look differently on an application for the entry of a team into the 2028 Championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM factory team or as a GM customer team designing all allowable components in-house. » affirms the statement.

« In this case, there would be additional factors to consider concerning the value that the Candidate would bring to the Championship, particularly in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM manufacturer into the sport as a PU supplier. »