F1 closer to approving expanded grid for General Motors entry initially started by Michael Andretti - ESPN

With a restructuring at Andretti Global that pushed Michael Andretti into a smaller role, the chances of his organisation landing a Formula 1 team have substantially increased.

So much so that F1 and Formula 1 Management could have a decision to grant the General Motors-backed entry a spot as the 11th team on the grid in the coming weeks. Dan Towriss, now the majority owner of the Andretti organisation, was at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Thursday scoping his chances of entering the top motorsports series in the world.

So was the FBI, allegedly, as part of a Department of Justice investigation into why F1 denied the Andretti organisation expansion into the series. F1 currently has 10 teams that field 20 cars and only one — the organisation owned by California businessman Gene Haas — is an American team.

Las Vegas marks the third race this season in the United States, more than any other country, as F1 has exploded in American popularity over the last five years.

Even so, Andretti could not get approval from F1 to enter the series. But, the situation changed in September when Andretti scaled back his role with his namesake organisation.

Now with Towriss in charge, talks have amplified, even though it is not clear what the name of an Andretti-less F1 team would even be. Cadillac would do the engines — but says it won't be ready until 2028 — which means a 2026 Towriss-led F1 team would be GM branded but with a partner engine supplier.

Most of the existing teams have been largely opposed to an 11th team entering F1, citing a dilution in prize money and the massive expenses they've already committed to the series. But, Andretti among others believed the teams' position was personal in that they simply didn't like Andretti, who