FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem took to Twitter on Sunday to express his surprise at "some adverse reaction" towards the plans of Andretti-Cadillac to enter F1.
Andretti Global and General Motors revealed this week that they are forming a joint venture that will aim to bring the famed Cadillac name to Grand Prix racing.
The news hit the wires just days after the FIA revealed that it was considering a new 'Expressions of Interest' process to gauge the interest and viability of potential teams that wish to enter f1 in the future.
Andretti's efforts to join the field have been met in the past year by a lot of resistance from Formula 1 which is reluctant to expand its field in order not to dilute the sport's current prize money fund.
However, Andretti's involvement with General Motors is a major credibility boost to the US outfit's project and one that can no longer be disdainfully brushed aside by F1's incumbents.
Formula 1's reaction to the news was seen as lukewarm at best while, astonishingly, not a single mention of the Andretti-Cadillac project was found on the sport's official website!
"There is great interest in the F1 project at this time with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others," was F1’s laconic response on Thursday.
"We all want to ensure the championship remains credible and stable and any new entrant request will be assessed on criteria to meet those objectives by all the relevant stakeholders.
"Any new entrant request requires the agreement of both F1 and the FIA."
While Formula 1 was not directly named by Ben Sulayem in his tweet on Sunday, it was nevertheless very clear whom the FIA president was targeting.
.@Cadillac @FollowAndretti @GM @FIA @F1 pic.twitter.com/ziVL91FCec
— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) January 8, 2023
"It is surprising that there has been some adverse reaction to the Cadillac and Andretti news," he wrote.
"The FIA has accepted the entries of smaller, successful organisations in recent years.
"We should be encouraging prospective F1 entries from global manufacturers like GM and thoroughbred races like Andretti and others.
"Interest from teams in grown markets adds diversity and broadens F1’s appeal."
A conflict or tug-of-war is now brewing in plain site between Formula 1 and motorsport's governing body, with the latter determined to showcase its authority.
Grab your popcorn...
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