13 January 2023 , 19:34
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Michael Andretti has made "a statement" by adding the weight of a partnership with General Motors to his bid to join the Formula 1 grid, Toto Wolff has admitted.
The Mercedes chief has been one of the most vocally critical figures in the sport regarding the American's attempt to create a new team. He previously made the point that anyone wanting to take a slice of the F1 pie should bring more to the table than they take.
Perhaps following that advice, Andretti announced last week that they had struck a deal with one of the biggest car companies in the world. General Motors will get involved in the sport through its luxury Cadillac brand, should the Andretti bid be approved.
Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. The FIA made it clear it is excited about the prospect of an established racing team and a big automotive brand joining the sport, but the reception from F1 itself and most of the existing teams has been less hospitable.
Speaking for the first time since the deal was made public, Wolff appeared to concede that the American has added some weight to his bid. "Cadillac and GM, that's a statement. Certainly them joining forces with Andretti is definitely a positive, gives it another angle that may or may not be beneficial for Formula 1," said the Austrian.
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"But nobody would ever question GM or Cadillac’s pedigree in motorsport and obviously as a global auto company." Meanwhile, Wolff's former strategy chief James Vowles, now leading the Williams team, appeared to suggest Andretti might need to offer more before he starts winning over hearts and minds.
Michael Andretti wants to launch his own F1 team (Getty Images)"We are always open to the sport growing. The truth behind it is the sport is becoming more and more successful financially," Vowles observed. "Whoever joins in that environment, needs to bring with it, effectively, the growth that is required in order for everyone else to be in a better position, or at least a neutral position.
"I think that's been the statement from the outset, from the beginning. There are a lot of lovely things about Andretti and about Cadillac, it just needs to have good understanding of how it will grow the sport, in what way, and what the growth will be."
Andretti, clearly irked by the cold reception from most of the current F1 teams, lashed out earlier this week at "greedy" bosses. One senior member of a current team suggested to Mirror Sport that they might need to offer a dilution fee of £500m or more before they would consider it a fair deal.