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Fernando Alonso believes the Andretti name will prove good for Formula 1 – although recognises he has to tow the Aston Martin party line when it comes to sign-off.
On Monday, world motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, confirmed Andretti Global was the only bid that satisfied its stringent criteria for becoming the 11th team on the F1 grid, and had progressed the entry to the next phase.
That, however, is now in the hands of the sport’s commercial rights holders, Liberty Media.
Of the 10 current teams, the majority have previously voiced their opposition to a newcomer as they are unprepared to split the burgeoning pot of revenue that has accumulated in the wake of the sport’s booming popularity.
F1 will now conduct its “own assessment of the merits of the remaining application”.
Two-time champion Alonso knows team owner Michael Andretti well after competing in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 under the McLaren-Honda-Andretti banner.
“A great team, I know Michael, and it will be a great name to add to Formula 1,” said the Aston Martin driver.
“But there are other people in charge of these kinds of decisions – first, the FIA, and then FOM, and the teams as well.
“Whatever is the final decision is going to be okay.
“I like Michael, as I said, I like the organisation, but I also understand other things, and I will support whatever is Aston Martin’s position. I will be okay with anything.”
As to whether he would at least welcome increased competition on the grid, Alonso saw it differently.
“In Formula 1 there is not that much of a battle between teams,” remarked Alonso.
“Even if we are 50 on track, we will only fight against one or two drivers because they have more or less the same package as you.
“There have been some discussions in the past as well, even having three cars per team, things like that.
“In the end, you never know what is the best solution.
“But as I said, I think we have very good people deciding these kinds of things. We trust completely the FIA, FOM, so we are in good hands.”
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez echoed Alonso’s comments regarding the strength of the Andretti name, in particular, given its tie-in with General Motors via the Cadillac Brand.
Perez said: “It’s a good name to have in Formula 1, obviously. At the same time, that decision doesn’t really rely on us, so let’s wait and see.
“But it will be a good name, certainly a good team to bring into the sport. Let’s see what happens in the end.”
