09/06/2022
NEWS STORY
Mario Andretti has said that Toto Wolff's criticism of his son's bid to enter F1 is "disrespectful", insisting the Mercedes boss has no reason to look down on the proposed entry.
Despite losing out on its bid to purchase the Sauber operation, Michael Andretti is continuing with his dream of entering F1.
The American faces many challenges, not least the so-called $200m anti-dilution payment aimed at protecting the financial interests of the existing teams.
Despite assurances that almost everything is in place for his entry, Andretti has been surprised at the level of resistance from a number of the existing teams, not least Mercedes.
Speaking in Miami, Toto Wolff said: "I'm sure that if we have a true American team, with an American driver, that would be very beneficial.
"But, we have had 10 entries today, we divide the prize fund among those 10 entries. We have invested considerable amounts over the last 10 years. Each of the organisations that's sitting here on the podium has probably put more than a billion into the Formula 1 projects over the years, so it needs to be accretive.
"If a team comes in, how can you demonstrate that you're bringing in more money than it's actually costing," he continued, "because then 11th team means a 10 per cent dilution for everybody else.
"So, if one is able to demonstrate that, then we should all be sitting on the table, and cheer for such an entry. But that hasn't been demonstrated yet. And that may sound a bit dry, because it comes down to the numbers, but the value of Formula 1 is that it's a limited amount of franchises. And we don't want to dilute that value by just adding teams."
While the likes of Ferrari have echoed Wolff's thoughts, others appear far more welcoming.
Nonetheless, it is Wolff's attitude that has riled Andretti's father, the legendary Mario Andretti.
"Toto Wolff has spoken very openly about our credibility," the American tells Auto Motor und Sport. "However, he speaks to me in a different way.
"I find the criticism very disrespectful," he adds, "because we have been active in motorsport much longer than he has. I respect his success so far, but he has no reason to look down on us.
"The FIA is very open to us and we have fulfilled all the requirements," he says of talks with the sport's governing body. "Now we are waiting for them to give us a number, what it costs to pay the teams to let us in. We know it's in the $200 million range. Now they may want more, but we're still waiting for feedback. It's bordering on usury.
"It would be different with Bernie," he adds, "Liberty gives the teams too much say."
Asked about the anticipated competitiveness of his team, what with the numerous efforts, including the likes of Toyota and BMW that have failed in the past, Andretti says: "They always ask how we want to be competitive... I say, let that be our problem! You don't know our preparations.
"We don't need to sign any new people at all, we have absolutely experienced people who have the necessary knowledge. On the financial side, we have credible partners who are aware of the size of the project. We've been planning for a long time with our programme because it's everything we want.
"We deserve more respect."
Indeed.
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