FIA to grant Andretti F1 license, but F1 still wants to prevent them from joining grid in 2025

The FIA seems inclined to grant a license to Andretti Global to join the grid in 2025, and now the ball is in Formula 1’s court, which will try to appeal to European law to deny entry to the American team. For various reasons, including the annual team prize money, which would need to be divided among 11 instead of 10 teams if Andretti enters in 2025, the teams and Formula 1 are against the federation’s intentions.

Andretti very close to entry in 2025 thanks to the FIA; Formula 1 will do everything to prevent it

Last semester, the FIA opened a call for new potential teams interested in entering Formula 1 from 2025, which could bring both image and economic benefits to the sport. Among the noteworthy applications in May was that of Andretti, supported by the American giant General Motors.

According to Tobi Gruner, it appears that at Monza, the FIA has decided to grant the F1 license to the American team, as it has met all the necessary criteria to allow the entry of a new team into the grid. These criteria include:

Demonstrating the structure and leadership necessary to create a competitive team
Demonstrating an understanding of the regulations
Demonstrating sufficient budget to set up and regularly field a team
Demonstrating the presence of factories and qualified employees according to F1 standards
Demonstrating that the key figures of the team have no criminal records
Demonstrating the ability to pass sustainability checks and operate in a carbon-neutral manner
FIA approval does not guarantee Andretti’s entry into the grid in 2025
In the event of federation approval (which seems almost certain at the moment), the American team will also have to prove its ability to bring economic benefits to the sport and not merely be there to divide the prize money or sell the team in the future for profit.

Moreover, the timing is not in favor of Andretti. With 2025 rapidly approaching in terms of car design, engineers will have a very limited period to present a competitive car on the grid in a year and a half. Furthermore, even demonstrating the ability to benefit Formula 1 will require an additional six months.

Denying entry to Andretti will be a tough task for Formula 1
Despite the tight timelines and opposition from the teams, it will not be easy for Formula 1 to prove valid reasons to prevent the entry of the American team in 2025. In 2000, the EU Commission forced the FIA to amend its sports law under a directive on participation in motor racing events.

According to Article 2 of that directive, “participation by a team cannot be prevented or hindered unless the association declares reasons of safety or has a legitimate concern that participation may compromise a fair and regular process.”

For Formula 1, it will be very challenging to reject the application, especially considering two extremely well-known and respected brands in the motorsport and automotive world like Andretti and General Motors. Moreover, there would be a risk of getting involved in a protracted legal battle in case of refusal.

However, to overcome the opposition of the teams, which are not willing to divide the pie into 11 pieces, the entry fee for any team wishing to enter F1 could be raised from $200 million to $600 million.

Even here, problems could arise, as such a sum could discourage future automakers from applying to enter the grid someday. Formula 1 could then use this as evidence in support of its own motivations.