On the surface, Formula 1 has never looked healthier.
Since the F1 docuseries Drive to Survive arrived on Netflix in 2019, the sport has gained a new lease on life, with a whole new demographic getting introduced to the pinnacle of motorsport. Couple that with an enticing title fight in 2021 and ratings had never been higher, particularly in the United States. This was especially evident during the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, which attracted 2.58 million viewers, the largest live audience for Formula 1 ever in the US.
However, almost two years on from the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi title decider, the sport seems to have hit a plateau. In fact, at this year’s Miami Grand Prix, US TV network ABC saw a 25% decline in viewership in comparison with 2022. This is no doubt concerning for F1 management (FOM), who have gone to extreme measures to retain audiences, including the incorporation of sprint races into the Grand Prix weekend.
Despite these concerning figures, the solution may have arrived in the form of Andretti Global. Andretti is an American motorsport giant which has won four IndyCar championships, five Indy500 races, as well as partaking in Formula E, Extreme E, and IndyNXT. It was announced on the week of the Qatar Grand Prix that the FIA had undertaken a rigorous assessment of numerous prospective teams and has come to the conclusion that Andretti Global is eligible for an F1 entry, pending a commercial agreement with FOM.
Although Andretti’s entry has the potential to reignite American viewership, their proposal has been controversial amongst teams in the paddock. This is primarily because others teams would lose prize money at the end of the season. To offset this loss, an anti-dilution fee of $200 million was put it in place in the current Concorde Agreement, which all new entrants must pay to enter the sport. Nevertheless, many teams have expressed that they believe this is too low of a price to pay to enter one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.
Additional concerns have revolved around the potential power engine that Andretti will use. When announcing their intention to enter Formula 1 earlier this year, Andretti stated that they would be entering a technical partnership with General Motors, but they would not be producing their own power engine. In response to this, Redbull team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports, “GM coming in particular to Formula is a massively positive thing […] but ideally, I think they need to do their own engine. And I think that when you look at how Audi has come into the sport, they’ve acquired an existing team and an existing franchise. Should it be different for the others?”
Nevertheless, others have shown their support for an eleventh team on the grid, including seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton told AutoSport that, “There will definitely be people that won’t be happy for me to be so supportive of it! But I think it’s great […] It’s an opportunity for more jobs, there’s another two seats available for a potential female driver to come through. It opens up more possibilities, and I think it’ll be more exciting for the race.”
In the face of this division, FOM must come to a conclusion regarding the commercial viability of an Andretti F1 team. A refusal to accept Andretti would not only highlight the potential differences between FOM and the FIA, but it could also demonstrate that Formula 1 are not prioritising the retention of their newly-found American audience. In contrast, an acceptance of the team could bring a greater level of uncertainty into the sport, particularly concerning their engine deal. It could also potentially put other Formula 1 teams, who have just recovered from the financial strain of the pandemic, at risk of losing their place in their sport.
“Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas (2019-11-03)” by RalphArvesen is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.