Former world champion Mario Andretti has revealed that Formula 1's decision to reject his team's bid for a place on the grid felt ‘personal’ and hit like a ‘bullet to the heart’.
The team is fronted by former F1 driver (and son of Mario) Michael Andretti, and currently competes in a plethora of other racing series including IndyCar, Formula E and the IMSA series.
Andretti’s bid was in conjunction with Cadillac, owned by General Motors, who would have powered Andretti’s racing cars from 2028.
Andretti's F1 bid was rejected by FOMAndretti still hope to join the grid eventually
Why did F1 reject Andretti?
Despite their racing pedigree, FOM rejected Andretti's bid as they did not believe they were a "competitive applicant" and would not provide "value" to the series.
Greg Maffei and Mario Andretti clashed at private event
“I was asked to go there. And just as I was trying to explain [our plans] to [F1 CEO] Stefano [Domenicali], Greg Maffei, broke in the conversation and said: 'Mario, I want to tell you that I will do everything in my power to see that Michael [Andretti] never enters Formula 1,” Andretti said.
“I could not believe that. That one really floored me. We’re talking about business. I didn’t know it was something so personal. That was really... oh, my goodness. I could not believe it. It was just like a bullet through my heart.”
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