Mario Andretti has claimed the president of Formula 1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media told him his son’s team would never be allowed to enter the series.
The 1978 world champion said Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei warned him three weeks ago he would do everything he could to block the application by Michael Andretti.
Andretti described how Maffei interrupted an exchange between him and Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali on Saturday during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
“Mr Maffei, broke in the conversation and he said: ‘Mario, I want to tell you that I will do everything in my power to see that Michael never enters Formula 1,’” Andretti told NBC.
According to Andretti, Maffei then walked away. “I could not believe that,” he said. “That one really floored me.”
“We’re talking about business,” he added. “I didn’t know it was something so personal. That was really — oh, my goodness. I could not believe it. It was just like a bullet through my heart.”
Andretti’s application to enter Formula 1 was approved by the FIA following a lengthy selection process in October last year. Formula One Management declared in January they should not be allowed into the series, but Andretti has nonetheless continued its preparations.
It opened a technical base in Silverstone last month with a UK workforce of around 80 people. Earlier this week it hired Pat Symonds, previously FOM’s chief technical officer, to join as a consultant following a period of gardening leave. Symonds has spent the last seven years at F1 and devised F1’s current technical regulations as well as the new rules due for introduction in 2026, when Andretti hopes to be on the grid.
F1 is facing pressure from US lawmakers over its refusal to admit Andretti. This week six senators wrote to the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division to raise their concerns about FOM.
“Clearly there is a financial incentive to adding an American team to F1’s roster, and there is no reason they should be blocked unless [Formula 1 Management] is trying to insulate its current partners from competition,” they stated.
Formula One Management has been approached for comment.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula 1
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…