FIA approves Andretti-Cadillac F1 bid

Formula 1 is one step closer to expanding.

The sport’s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), announced on Monday that following a lengthy review process from multiple teams seeking entry to the F1 grid, the bid submitted by the recently formed Andretti-Cadillac partnership was the sole successful bid.

According to a statement from FIA, the bid submitted by Andretti-Cadillac “was the only candidate to meet the stringent criteria that was set by the FIA in all material respects from the four teams which lodged formal applications in Phase 2 of the process.”

Back in February FIA issued a call for Expressions Of Interest, inviting prospective teams to apply for entry on the F1 grid. Four teams submitted entries, but only the Andretti-Cadillac bid was selected.

The bid now moves to Formula One Management (FOM) for “commercial discussions.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem — who has been supportive of the Andretti-Cadillac bid in the past months — said this in the announcement: “The FIA was very clear in establishing stringent criteria for entry from the outset of the Expressions of Interest procedure. Our objective, after rigorous due diligence during the application phase, was to only approve prospective entries which satisfied the set criteria and illustrated that they would add value to the sport.

“The FIA is obliged to approve applications that comply with the Expressions of Interests application requirements and we have adhered to that procedure in deciding that Andretti Formula Racing LLC’s application would proceed to the next stage of the application process. In taking that decision, the FIA is acting in accordance with EU directives on motor sport participation and development.“

In a brief statement of their own, F1 outlined that “[w]e note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application.”

In a statement of their own, Andretti-Cadillac acknowledge the massive step forward in their process, and again reiterated the distinctly “American” nature of their bid, which was a big point of emphasis when they declared their intentions earlier this year.

“The formation of this distinctly American team is an important moment of pride for all our employees and fans. We feel strongly that Andretti Cadillac’s deep racing competencies and the technological advancements that come from racing will benefit our customers while heightening the enthusiasm for F1, globally,” said the statement.

“We look forward to engaging with all of the stakeholders in Formula One as we continue our planning to join the grid as soon as possible.”

The backdrop for this announcement is the continued push by F1 and Liberty Media, the sport’s ownership group, for growth into emerging markets. At the top of that list? The United States. The success of the Netflix series Drive to Survive coupled with the expansion of the schedule to include three races in the States — including the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in November — has seen the sport gain traction in the United States.

This is something Michael Andretti leaned into during the press conference announcing the Andretti-Cadillac bid last January. “[An] American manufacturer behind an American team with an American driver will be the biggest story of the year,” said Andretti at that conference to the media, including SB Nation.

The idea of an “All-American” team certainly seems appealing to the FIA, given this news.

Now we wait to see if F1 themselves agree.