FIA breaks silence after Andretti rejection from F1

The FIA has responded to Formula 1's rejection of Andretti to join the grid, following commercial talks between the two parties.

A statement read: "The FIA notes the announcement from Formula One Management in relation to the FIA Formula One World Championship teams' Expressions of Interest process. We are engaging in dialogue to determine next steps."

Andretti had cleared approval from the FIA, who confirmed that it met all the required criteria to join the grid in October last year following an expressions of interest procedure.

What followed was "commercial discussions" between Andretti Global and F1 commercial rights holders Liberty Media, who reviews their commercial viability.

F1 subsequently issued a statement after months of investigation, claiming it has rejected Andretti's bid to join the grid because they determined the addition of an 11th team would not provide value to the championship or be competitive.

The commercial rights holders also cited the operational burden, but caveated it by saying they would review a potential bid alongside General Motors to join from 2028 either as a works or customer entity.

Both Andretti Global and Mario Andretti issued statements, with the latter saying he was "devastated" by the news on social media.

Andretti themselves said of F1's report that they "strongly disagree with its contents" and added "We are proud of the significant progress we have already made on developing a highly competitive car and power unit” and “our work continues at pace."

Andretti now finds itself in the unprecedented situation of having approval from the FIA, but no commercial agreement with F1.

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