The Carlos Sainz/Ferrari contract dance is interesting . He wants a long term deal and so far Ferrari are hesitant . If they can't agree his contract ends at the end of this coming season .

Bottas and Zhou I believe are contracted until the end of this season . Does Carlos position himself to sign on with Sauber/Stake to then become an Audi factory driver ?

Quite the return on investment . Buy for 301 million and 7 years later worth 18.22 billion .

https://jalopnik.com/liberty-media-bought-formula-1-for-301m-seven-years-l-1851207068

Wow, Andretti denied. Doesn't add value to the F1 brand.

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/why-formula-1-said-no-161000724.html

Yeah that is stupid phrasing on F1 part. Very insulting. Andretti is probably just after Fangio and Senna on the "famous racing names". They have $ and a US manufacturer backing, WTH F1 ?

The truth is: Our teams have us by the balls and refuse to dilute the prize money..

But Andretti not adding value to F1? Vs who ? HAAS? Alpha Tauri Visa EBT card ? Even Sauber (apologies, Sauber is a worthy team with longer history, but not exactly a huge brand name).

I tried to read that thread. Somehow, the word/letter spacing on my end made it really difficult to do so.

But the gist was that F1 wants teams to "add value.' By that, F1 expects the new team to challenge for wins and podiums. Great idea, but realistically only 3 or 4 of the current teams challenge for podiums, meaning over half the grid does not. And it's not like F1 relegates those other crappy 6 teams to F3 or karting.

The report cited that the regs change from 2025-2026. To have a new constructor make one car for 2025, and then have to make an entirely different car for 2026 would be difficult.

The lack of GM stepping in as an immediate engine (sorry Power Unit) supplier was a negative.
But then the report conceded that simultaneously introducing a new chassis and new PU would also be difficult for "adding value."

But the report also cited that Andretti's plans to use an existing PU supplier, but then the planned switch to another would also be quite challenging in terms of the first PU supplier and intellectual property.

All true, but it's not like any of these aren't issues that couldn't have been raised last year, when Andretti first filed their application. I mean, why would F1 even open up the possibility of introducing new teams (and 3 others applied, too), if these were the stumbling blocks?

That reads to me like F1 are trying to pressure Andretti to pressure GM into jumping in as a power unit supplier.

Could be, I didn't get that feeling right off. The feeling I got was one of the good ol' boys club. There was mention the the teams themselves opinions were not considered in this decision as it stands.

Yeah, right.

“While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around.”

Expect to see their wind tunnel model on BaT soon :cool:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1706731549.jpg

They likely also want more application/entrance fee money when the Concorde Agreement is renegotiated. The current $200million just isn't enough.

I am very disappointed by this decision and will reconsider my desire to watch this season or anymore.

I see a lawsuit looming.

They should can the 3 races the usa. It’s a slap in the face. A hard one. The fans - you think they won’t be mad??? The arrogant pricks. If they don’t think he can make it just let him try and watch him meddle at the back. What prize money would he take?

Man, international law must be a tough deal. (I know what I did there :D)

Who are they? We're gonna become nationalistic and legislate against F1? Liberty Media is a USA based company. Sorry.

We have all witnessed the ups and downs of racing with the general public. I watch all racing like a lot of us. I watch F1 because I always have, not because its good racing or really that interesting. This makes me want to watch less.

It just doesn’t make sense. No matter who owns it. Plenty of teams came and went in the history of F1. If F1 does not think Andretti can do it with the regulation changes/customer engine , well maybe in 4 yrs etc… but what do they have to lose by letting Andretti/GM try? It’s not their $$. The likelihood of Andretti taking prize $ in near term is low. It would garner more attention more sponsors more everything. I just don’t see how it could be bad.

Maybe they do not like they way Andretti went about the whole thing.

"and for FOM, they were concerned about p*ssing off the teams that have made them a multi billion-dollar company."

Ah, to be back in the Bernie days. He would have most definitely allowed Andretti in just for this purpose, because he knew he'd make even more money and get greater concessions from teams when he would threaten to run a 20 team series.

This, ultimately, is the fault of the FIA, not liberty media. Giving rules-making power to the manufacturers has resulted in the FIA having no power. FIA blinked when FOCA threatened to leave. F1 was the top of the game and every team knew it, but the FIA owned it; the FIA should have called their bluff, instead of conceding every time the teams cried. Now that corporations run the racing teams we now get to watch Boards of Directors fiduciary responsibility racing. Boring-azz-scheisse.

Well that puts a damper on the season before it starts. I saw this coming though, the hoop jumping was ongoing and a little much but I still figured that there is no way they could deny names like Cadillac and Andretti, especially when its in their Concorde agreement to allow 12 teams.
What I perceived as hoop-jumping was just a stall on what, IMO, should be an automatic call.
I don't follow the politics of this, Liberty media, Foca, Fom, Fia & Toto but I'm in shock at this decision. If these entities can't get a team in F1 than nobody can, period.
I hope the fall-out is huge and that the people responsible for the "no" receive endless B-slaps and one way tickets to visit M. Massi and that they have to take Greta with them.
Who are those guys?

In other news...

Sky just reported that Hamilton is going to Ferrari for 2025. :eek: