"I will be cheering for you!" says Michael Andretti as F1 bid looks set to go ahead without him.

Weeks after it was announced that he was "stepping back" at Andretti Global, to take on an ambassadorial and advisory role with the outfit he founded in 2002, it looks as though Michael Andretti's hard-fought bid to enter the sport has succeeded... albeit without his involvement.

Almost from the moment he disappeared into the shadows and Dan Towriss emerged as the new boss, relations between the American hopefuls and F1 have thawed, to the point that yesterday it was revealed that former engine partner, GM/Cadillac is set to line up on the grid in 2026... with Mario Andretti a director on the team board.

As it happens, Michael Andretti's stepping down was followed shortly after by the news that Liberty Media CEO, Greg Maffei is following suit, though this is thought to be related to a dispute with (Liberty boss) John Malone over the purchase of MotoGP and unrelated to the Andretti bid.

Taking to social media, Michael welcomed the latest news.

"The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," he wrote. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!"

Clearly young Andretti was a major stumbling block in the process leaving many to wonder why.

There is much speculation over the situation, and while some believe F1's stance may have changed in light of the ongoing investigation by the US department of justice, Pitpass hears that Andretti himself is currently under scrutiny in what is believed to be a case relating to intellectual property.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 28/11/2024 0:12

"@Stitch431 - I'm not a 100% on this but I've heard Maffei was pissed about the US Government looking into the rejection of Andretti that made him confront Mario in Miami. As a side note, its also been said that Maffei's exit is due to pissing off J.C. Malone with his purchase of MotoGP."

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2. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 27/11/2024 14:30

"Mario Andretti is still the last American to win in F1. The Andretti last name carries a ton of weight & beloved by all Americans.

Unless Penske or Rahal step in; an American based team with Andretti is sure to be commercial success. Perhaps Max wouldn't mind spending part of the year in States? Most of the drivers would if they had the opportunity."

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3. Posted by Stitch431, 27/11/2024 9:49

"Most issues always somehow come to light. but to this day it is still not clear what caused Greg Maffei to stand in the way of Andretti. Has anybody got a clue as to what the reason is?"

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4. Posted by Tyrbiter, 27/11/2024 9:41

"@moomoo Well he didn't cover himself in glory during his time at McLaren in '93. Hakkinen took his seat for the final 3 races. Having the name is not always enough in F1."

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5. Posted by kenji, 27/11/2024 1:21

"I should imagine that now a deal has been struck , this of itself doesn't preclude any discriminatory clauses targeting an Andretti participation....in some manner. The Maffei incident still needs to be resolved in such a way as to not cloud the new team with unresolved issues. Maffei's statement was not just offering an opinion but it was, IMO, a rather serious threat without any evidence to support making it."

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6. Posted by moomoo, 26/11/2024 18:48

"@Tyrbiter to simplify things for you it'd be bad. Unless he undertakes a charisma transplant prior that is."

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7. Posted by Tyrbiter, 26/11/2024 18:42

"@BrightonCorgi Can anyone tell whether that would be good or bad? I'm not sure how to tell."

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8. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 26/11/2024 17:53

"Just because Michael has stepped down for now does not mean he's out of the picture forever. He could be back running things just like that.

"

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9. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 26/11/2024 16:59

"Its a given he'd be cheering seeing as from previous articles it appears that GM F1 is Andretti all but in name. They'll most likely be building most of the car if not all of it at their new fan-dangle Silverstone HQ that Andretti set up. Even though Mikey isn't there to call the shots, Pops will be around to bend the important ears so its a small victory for him, if nothing else.

Still good to have an 11th team, now lets make the grid whole and get a 12th and final team by 2028!"

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10. Posted by OKielander, 26/11/2024 14:44

""Pitpass hears that Andretti himself is currently under scrutiny"
Typical lawfare of the outgoing rhetoric.
Liberty has a ticket selling problem as well.
We will see how this plays out over the next 29 months."

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11. Posted by Max Noble, 26/11/2024 9:29

"No cost cap news… no contract dramas… so F1 finds this new entry drama to entertain us off track! Turk Thrust is laughing so hard he cannot breathe right now! Possible Oscar nominations for “best adapted screen play” coming up…? Oh, wait we’ve already got part one of the block buster with Rad Brat next year… wonder if that is going to surprise us all and have no on track action and prove to be a court room drama! (12 good men, Pelican Brief…?)….!?
"

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Michael Andretti reacts to GM announcement

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