Andretti Global clears first hurdle to join Formula One as an 11th team with FIA expansion approval

NEW YORK: Michael Andretti cleared a major hurdle in his bid to launch an American team in Formula One after the FIA said Monday that Andretti Global meets all required criteria to expand the world’s top motorsports series to 11 teams.

The decision does not guarantee Andretti will get the two-car team he wants and just how far he has to go was made clear in the brusque response issued by F1 after the announcement.

“We 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,” Formula One said in a statement.

Liberty Media holds the F1 commercial rights and it is to the corporate giant that Andretti Global and partner Cadillac must next prove their commercial value. Liberty Media and F1 President Stefano Domenicali have mostly sided with the existing 10 teams, which vehemently oppose expanding the 20-car grid. The teams, however, have no vote on expansion.

Approval from the FIA was a first, important step in Andretti’s three-year quest to return his family’s storied name to the pinnacle of auto racing. Mario Andretti, his father, won the 1978 F1 championship and Michael ran 13 races in 1993.

The father and son are among the most successful racers in American open wheel history and rank third and fourth on IndyCar’s all-time win list. Michael Andretti said the Andretti Cadillac group was honored by the FIA’s approval.

“We appreciate the FIA’s rigorous, transparent and complete evaluation process and are incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to compete in such a historic and prestigious championship,” the statement said. “The formation of this distinctly American team is an important moment of