F1 News: Andretti Reveals Why Formula One's Request Was Left Unanswered Ahead Of Refusal
Formula One Management (FOM) revealed that it had paused the participation of the Andretti Cadillac in the sport until 2028. However, the American team claimed they hadn't received any official communication. It later emerged that the FOM's email had been mistakenly marked as spam, leading to Michael Andretti and General Motors not responding to the request.
Key Takeaways:
- Formula One Management (FOM) initially paused Andretti Cadillac's participation until 2028, but the team claimed no official communication was received, attributing it to an email mistakenly marked as spam.
- Andretti Cadillac, a joint venture between Andretti Autosport and General Motors, awaited FOM's final approval after being approved by the FIA for an F1 entry.
- Despite FOM's rejection citing insufficient value, Andretti expressed a desire for discussion. Investigations revealed the email mishap, prompting openness from both Andretti and the FIA for further talks on the matter.
A joint venture between Andretti Autosport and automotive giant General Motors, Andretti Cadillac, was approved for a Formula 1 entry last year by the FIA. The new team then awaited final approval from the FOM, which was to assess the value the team brought to the sport.
Andretti Press Image
Surprisingly, FOM rejected the application, stating that the new team did not sufficiently contribute to the sport's value. They suggested that Andretti Cadillac should reconsider entering Formula 1 when GM becomes an official engine supplier in 2028.
FOM also stated that it had contacted Andretti Cadillac for a private discussion on the matter but, the request was not accepted. Andretti Cadillac issued a statement in reaction to F1's rejection, expressing unawareness of any invitation. According to Andretti, engaging in such a discussion would have been desirable.
Eventually, Andretti's IT team conducted an investigation to prevent any misunderstanding. It was discovered that the email from FOM ended up in the spam folder because it was sent by another employee in the organization, not CEO Stefano Domenicali.
Andretti has expressed a desire for this discussion, and the FIA, particularly President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has stated openness to discussions on the matter. Hence, it's possible that all concerned parties will engage in talks regarding the rejection.