Wolff says Andretti will need to prove worth to join F1

Andretti recently announced that it is in talks with the FIA about fielding an entry for 2024, having failed in its attempt to buy Sauber/Alfa Romeo last year.

Under the latest Concorde Agreement, any new team has to pay a $200m entry fee, designed as an "anti-dilution" measure to compensate the existing teams for their potential loss of income.

While Wolff acknowledged the potential value of the Andretti name to the sport, he stressed that the new outfit would also have to meet all the necessary criteria mandated by the FIA and the F1 organisation, financial and otherwise.

"Andretti is a name, that's for sure," said Wolff. "And the American market is important. But every team that is joining needs to be accretive, that means needs to add value.

"And it's not only it's not only by paying $200 million entry fee, but it needs to demonstrate in my opinion what it can do for the other teams, for F1 and FIA. Only then the sport will grow.

"We are the absolute pinnacle, this is the Champions League, or the NFL, and redistributing franchises is not the goal, that's not how it should be, and it's not the intention of F1 and the FIA neither.

"But if there is a real brand coming in with good people, necessary funding, not only the 200 million but probably you need more like a billion if you want to play in this club straight from the get go. And then why not?"

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner agreed with Wolff that Andretti would need to prove its credentials in order to join the F1 grid.

"I think it's great that there's the interest for people wanting to enter F1," said Horner. "The Andretti name is certainly a powerful name in motorsport. And, of course, they're not the only ones that are making noises about coming in.

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