Formula 1 have been accused of being “short-sighted” after the sport’s commercial wing opted to reject the Andretti family’s bid for a spot on the grid.
Formula One Management emphatically rejected the Andretti bid with a public statement last month that suggested they would not bring a commercial or sporting benefit to the grid.
The move brought the wrath of the fans, who are largely in support of Andretti’s arrival, as well as the FIA who green lit the move in 2023.
F1 did leave the door open, suggesting Andretti may be more welcome once partners General Motors create an engine in 2028 but, for now, the racing family who has been working on getting a spot for several years will be forced to watch from the sidelines.
That decision has been criticised by former F1 driver Johnny Herbert who said it was “short-sighted.”
“I think they should [have been let in],” Herbert said when asked about Andretti by PlanetF1.com. “Because I think it adds to the F1 grid just because we have the name of Andretti.
“Secondly, there are another two cars on the grid and thirdly it gives other drivers an opportunity to be on that grid as well.
“There’s always the argument that seems to be about, well what do they bring? Will they bring more money, effectively, to the party? I think with the three races in the States, that’s obviously a positive thing.
“The name is another one that I think is very good for Formula 1. Going to Mario but even with Michael himself. I find it difficult to understand why it wasn’t allowed on.
“I know, there was the argument definitely on the money side of things, taking a little bit out of the pie, but everybody has. Personally I think it was a bit short sighted.”
F1 did not just reject Andretti’s bid…they tore it to absolute pieces
The full 1434-word statement as F1 explain why Andretti bid was rejected
One common criticism thrown at Andretti is they will not bring value to the sport, but Herbert said that is something previous new entrants have not been judged on.
“I think it would bring more. Haas is the one that you would say well what do they bring? But that’s all accepted, that’s all part of it and rightly so, they should be accepted.
“There is always going to be the best team and there is always going to be the worst team. Doesn’t matter how you put it.
“Even if all these cars were F2s painted like Formula 1, you’d still have the best team and you’d still have the slowest team. So I think it would just add another dimension to the grid, just because there are more cars on the grid, it looks better.
“And I think the show will only benefit from that. For whatever people think that it won’t help, the name is a positive thing for Formula 1 so I hope it does happen down the line, I hope there isn’t going to be something where they give up and they don’t try to get in after ’26.”
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