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As F1's press release announcing the rejection of Andretti's application to join the sport surfaced, the reaction from the fans has been nothing short of outrage. The American brand had recently made the news for its facilities, including some impressive investments.
What the team showed was preparedness that arguably a few teams on the current grid might not have. Well, none of that matters as F1's press release states that the team and arguably one of the biggest names in American motorsports won't add enough value to the sport.
The press release was very interesting, and some of the points that asserted that Andretti cannot be competitive as soon as it enters F1 certainly caught the eye. It has led to outrage in various sections of fandom as well.
There is, however, a bigger question at play here which is whether the sport is out of touch with its own fanbase.
Andretti's failed bid to join F1
Andretti's failed bid might have surprised a lot of people and the reaction is obvious at this stage. Having said that, the outcome did appear to be predictable. Ever since the American brand voiced its interest in joining F1, all it has received is ridicule and dismissal.
Except for maybe Alpine and McLaren, there's no other team that has been even remotely in favor of Andretti joining F1. The opposition however has been intense with top teams like Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull voicing their discontent.
F1 in 2024 is a far cry from what it was under Bernie Ecclestone. The teams have a lot more power and with every Andretti development inundated with dismissive comments, this was always on the cards.
The reasons mentioned in the press release by Liberty Media are almost offensive and the outrage they have caused is almost expected. There's genuine disrespect involved here, and for fans who would love to have another team on the grid, there's a level of incredulity as the sport continues to act more and more exclusive.
A large chunk of the F1 fanbase would be more than happy if an 11th team is on the grid. Especially since it will give an opportunity to more drivers. The fact that Andretti's bid would get rejected this way leaves a bad taste in the mouth and the reaction is obvious.
The increased number of street tracks
To add to the list of things that fans seem to hate these days, F1 just introduced another street track in Madrid which would find a place on the calendar from 2026 onwards. Just like Andretti, this was another development that was not well-received by fans.
If we take a look at the trajectory of the number of street races on the calendar, there has been an almost exponential increase in the last few years. For instance, the 2004 season had 2 street races, a decade later in 2014 there were three street races, and in 2024, we will have seven street races.
What makes it worse is that this number will only increase in the future as the track in Madrid will find its way on the calendar in 2026 while there have also been rumors of possible additions of races in New York and Osaka.
In what appeared to be a telling indication of what the fans want, Red Bull had recently done a poll on its X account asking the fans for their preference between street tracks and conventional tracks.
The overwhelming majority voted for conventional tracks and that should tell everyone what the fans really want. F1 is in a rare position where its bottom line is at an all-time high and it is an attractive spot for investors. There's always a tipping point and one can only hope that the sport moves towards a more fan-centric approach.
