Q: FOM’s decisions on Andretti got me thinking this week, about not only F1’s unwillingness to expand, but also a few other issues. Recently F2 has produced champions with no realistic chance of an F1 seat the following year, which calls into question the effectiveness of the feeder series for prospective young drivers. There’s clearly interest, but a general lack of willingness from F1 to increase team participation, which also limits available seats. There’s also more interest than ever in hosting F1 globally and F1 is clearly hungry to expand well beyond Europe.
So here’s my pitch: Introduce an F1 European Championship. It would work similar to how English football works with a relegation system. The champions of F1 Europe would be promoted to the world championship the following year, with the last-placed team in the world championship being relegated to F1 Europe. Perhaps the technical regulations are simplified slightly, or teams use year-old cars, a spec engine, or similar to scale down the technical challenge to be proportional with being akin to a ‘GP1’ series.
This would solve a few problems that are currently present. 1) It would create an opportunity for new teams to enter the sport and give them a reasonable chance to move up into the big league. 2) It would create more available seats for young drivers to gain valuable seat time and race experience after graduating from F2. 3) It would create opportunities for European circuits to host F1 level machinery that may have been dropped by the world championship or are interested in hosting a world championship grand prix in the future.
Would this ever actually happen? Almost certainly no, but I’ll let my imagination entertain me.
Michael, Halifax, Canada
CM: I do like your imagination! And you could slightly tweak it to say it’s a bit like going back to the old days of Formula 2, where future F1 teams would cut their teeth and still had to design and develop cars. Perhaps in future F2 could evolve to allow development and be a real stepping stone for teams wanting to race in F1, rather than just drivers.
As much as I love the idea of promotion and relegation, you’re right that the technical regulations and lead times on cars, etc., makes that impossible, and I think the world is too advanced now to simplify the rules to try and make that feasible without damaging the actual value of F1 development and its identity as such an impressive non-spec series.
Q: So, I assume the majority of Mailbag letters are about the idiotic and self-serving decision to deny Andretti Global a seat at the table. I’m sure all the finer points have been dissected by now — like how is a new team supposed to win races from the very get-go?
Anyway, let’s go conspiracy theory instead. Day 1: Domenicali denies Andretti. Domenicali has strong ties to Ferrari.
Day 2: Word breaks that Hamilton will make “shock” switch to Ferrari, drowns out news about Andretti.
Coincidence?
Tim, Baton Rouge, LA
CM: I asked this very question Tim, and was assured it was a coincidence and that F1 had actually promised the FIA that it would respond to Andretti by the end of January. But I’ll admit it’s such a big coincidence that I am waiting for the FIA to verify that claim…
Q: I believe I may have finally reached my breaking point with Formula 1. I’ve been following this sport for over 40 years. The past few years I’ve asked myself, why am I wasting my time watching this garbage? The cars and tracks used to be so amazing, now they are just so soulless. And on-track competition? Forget it. I was looking forward to a real American team to root for. I hope the F1 community feels the same way I do and shows it by turning their backs. We’ll see.
Disappointed in Buffalo, NY
CM: There are clearly loads of very disappointed people at this point, but it seems to overlook the fact that 2028 remains a real possibility. The ball is actually in GM’s court on that front — if it commits to being a full PU manufacturer (for now it’s only stated its intention) then it gives the Andretti bit a huge chance of being successful at that stage. Hopefully you’re still watching if that does end up happening.
And based on the reaction, it looks like fans are more excited by the prospect of Lewis Hamilton racing for Ferrari in 2025 than they would have been by Andretti joining the grid in 2026. That’s not to belittle the impact Andretti would have in America by any stretch — or globally — but just highlighting that sports go through peaks and troughs and have different storylines that are important to different fans.
I think we’re all hoping for a far more competitive season in terms of race winners than last year, though, as remarkable an achievement as it was from Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Uncertainty over who is going to win and fights for victory are always the things that get the most people excited.
Q: I would very much like to see Andretti Global in F1. I would like to see more credible entries allowed to participate too, this is not just about Andretti.
We know they were rejected because the existing teams didn’t want to dilute their commercial interests (they have been saying this publicly for two years) and FOM’s statement was spiteful and unnecessary.
However, Michael and his leadership team should also reflect on this. They have no given right to be in F1, they have been extremely arrogant and public with their thoughts. Michael has been calling for a charter system in IndyCar for years and has called small-timers Joe Blows. Rob Edwards said something close to this recently, too.
If Michael already owned an entry, is it fair to say he would reject a new team too to protect his investment?
I say this as an American, but much of the anger is based on many seeing this as a snub to an American entry. If this was Carlos Sainz or Jody Scheckter failing to gain an entry, nobody would care.
PS: Gene Haas really needs to sell his ultra-unambitious entry to Michael and company and we can put this to bed.
John
CM: Really well said, John. I wrote about how Michael rubbed people up the wrong way by criticizing the teams and then going around the Miami paddock trying to get them to sign a letter of support, but it’s not about Andretti or an American team.
In fact, I genuinely believe the Andretti name and the desire to make it so American is one of the reasons why it is the only entry that has reached this stage. No other team — even pre-existing ones racing on the European ladder — got anywhere near this point.
I get accused of bias sometimes being from the UK, but given the majority of my work is for U.S. outlets I would clearly benefit from Andretti coming in, but I definitely want it to happen on a simple sporting level and the excitement a new team brings, regardless of that personal interest. And yet I’ve never felt at any stage the roadblocks put up by F1 are anti-American — this is a sport that focuses on that market more than any other and has done for a while.