4 months after approval of the entry by the FIA, the crew’s bid was rejected by F1 in a prolonged assertion issued on Wednesday.
The championship spelled out numerous the reason why it believed that the entry couldn’t be accepted that went effectively past the business points that the majority observers anticipated F1 to cowl.
One of many key assertions was that F1 felt the crew had bitten off greater than it may chew by planning an entry for 2025 with a automobile constructed to the present rules, after which be obliged to comply with up by having to design one other for the very totally different guidelines that come into pressure in 2026.
F1 famous that “we don’t consider there’s a foundation for any new applicant to be admitted in 2025 on condition that this could contain a novice entrant constructing two utterly totally different vehicles in its first two years of existence.
“The truth that the applicant proposes to take action offers us motive to query their understanding of the scope of the problem concerned.”
Andretti F1 Wind Tunnel Mannequin in Toyota Cologne
Photograph by: Andretti Autosport
Andretti had hitherto indicated that it was nonetheless able to enter in 2025 if the timeline allowed it however the crew confirmed on Friday that internally it had already switched its focus to a 2026 debut given the prolonged entry course of. That successfully nullified considered one of F1’s key arguments.
In an announcement the crew stated: “When Andretti Cadillac entered the FIA expression of curiosity course of virtually a 12 months in the past, the popular first 12 months of participation was indicated as 2025.
“The FIA authorised our software, with no particular limitation on whether or not the entry was for 2025 or 2026.
“Andretti Cadillac has been working with 2026 because the 12 months of entry for a lot of months now.
“The technicality of 2025 nonetheless being a part of the applying is a results of the size of this course of.”
In one other apparently damning revelation, F1 stated: “Having had the chance to think about the applicant’s responses along with our personal deliberations, we subsequently wrote to the applicant on 12 December 2023 extending an invite to an in-person assembly at our workplaces to ensure that the applicant to current its software, however the applicant didn’t take us up on this supply.”
This declare appeared to query the willingness of the crew to interact with F1, however Andretti Cadillac says that it didn’t know in regards to the invitation.
Michael Andretti
Photograph by: Mark Sutton
After the F1 assertion was issued, the crew’s IT employees discovered the e-mail, which was despatched by an F1 worker and never CEO Stefano Domenicali, in Michael Andretti’s spam folder.
“We weren’t conscious that the supply of a gathering had been prolonged and wouldn’t decline a gathering with System One Administration,” stated its assertion.
“An in-person assembly to debate business issues could be and stays of paramount significance to Andretti Cadillac.
“We welcome the chance to satisfy with System One Administration and have written to them confirming our curiosity.”
The crew additionally repeated the message included in its preliminary response issued on Wednesday, noting: “Our work continues at tempo.”
