While Formula 1 sets up its marquee in Las Vegas, maneuvers continue behind the scenes to discuss the future Concorde Agreements and the possibility of accepting an eleventh team.
The result of the recent presidential election in the United States could influence the future of the Andretti candidacy due to the investigation carried out by the US Department of Justice.
Political attention to the suspected Liberty Media cartel in Formula 1 was brought to the attention of Mario Andretti himself during a visit to Congress in Washington last spring.
Andretti Sr has connections with Republican senators and maintains cordial relations with future former President Donald Trump (photo above) and his son Donald Jr.
A link between Maffei's departure and Trump's election
From then on, the 1978 F1 world champion thinks that the project set up by his son Michael Andretti with the support of Cadillac could evolve more favorably, especially since the CEO of Liberty Greg Maffei – who personally blocked the candidacy – has just being dismissed by big boss John Malone, an event which followed Trump's election by just a few days, undoubtedly not a coincidence of timing…
“I want to be clear, says “Super Mario”. Politics is definitely not a priority for me.
However, I have done my duty as a citizen and I am certainly not losing interest in the management of public affairs. That's why I'm happy that Donald Trump is back in the White House.”
“This is obviously a very delicate situation, in which every word spoken can be misunderstood and cause further problems, he nuances. What can I say? On the one hand, Michael is 62 years old and a little more time to himself certainly wouldn't hurt. But there is also another aspect, because in the event that his presence is an obstacle to the dialogue between Andretti Global and Formula 1, it could be a good reason to find ourselves in a less blocked situation.
Clear horizon for 2026
Before the announcement of the sidelining of Maffei by Liberty in the wake of Trump's election, Michael Andretti himself had taken a step aside by leaving the presidency of Andretti Global to entrust the reins to his partner Dan Towriss, CEO of the Gainbridge group, thus paving the way for peaceful relations with F1.
Case to be continued, but the negotiations around the next Concorde Agreements could lead to the authorization of an eleventh team by 2026, and Andretti has never stopped preparing for this eventuality on both sides of the Atlantic by recruiting at and by setting up dedicated bases in Silverstone and Fisher (Indiana). At the same time, General Motors is said to have negotiated with Renault to recover the intellectual property of the V6 turbo hybrid engine developed according to 2026 regulations in the Viry-Châtillon factory.
