What Michael Andretti Stepping Down Could Mean for F1 Bid

Racing team owner and global business figure Michael Andretti is relinquishing his ownership stake in Andretti Global, a company spokesperson confirmed to The Drive on Friday afternoon. However, Andretti—the son of Formula 1 champion and racing legend Mario Andretti—will “continue to serve as a strategic advisor and key ambassador.” While it’s too early to tell, this recent move will undoubtedly have a major effect on the outfit’s hopes to compete in F1 come 2026.

“Michael’s goal has been to transition to a more strategic role with Andretti Global and focus less on the operational side of the race team,” a spokesperson for Andretti Global told The Drive. “He and Dan Towriss have been working on a structure of what this could look like and have reached a direction that Michael is very happy with and believes will bring a positive future.

“Michael remains engaged and will continue to serve as a strategic advisor and key ambassador. We will have more to share in the coming weeks after Michael and Dan have had an opportunity to speak to the team,” they added.

Sportico published a report Friday morning divulging Andretti’s transition, citing three sources close to the matter. It’s believed that Towriss—who runs Gainbridge and Group 1001—will step into Andretti’s shoes, but this has not been confirmed.

In April of last year, it was revealed that Andretti Global—then Andretti Autosport—welcomed Towriss as a new co-owner. News of the ownership change broke almost by accident when Towriss joined Andretti in receiving the owner’s trophy at IndyCar’s Long Beach Grand Prix. Despite a jam-packed schedule due to his business ventures, Towriss is a constant presence at most if not all of the series’ races. And, judging by Andretti Global’s statement today, it would appear that both Andretti and Towriss have been preparing for this moment for a long time.

What Does This Mean for the Andretti Cadillac F1 Team?

I’ll be clear that it’s too early to know for sure which way things will swing, but it’s not hard to do some intelligent speculation. If you’ve been following the saga of F1 versus Andretti, you know that Liberty Media’s decision to reject Andretti’s entry for 20205 was downright personal. F1 said that Andretti would not be competitive, dilute the value of the series, and take away attention and therefore money from established teams. Sure—so long as you pretend all current F1 teams are competitive, bring value to the series, and add to the pot of money that the teams share.

The real reason why their bid was snubbed appears to be because of a personal feud between Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei and the Andretti family. Don’t believe me? Here’s this hell of a one-liner from Maffei at the Miami GP this year: “Mario, I want to tell you that I will do everything in my power to see that Michael never enters Formula 1.” It’s worth noting that neither Maffei nor Liberty Media ever rejected that reported exchange.

And who could forget about the time that F1 rang up General Motors and asked them to partner with literally anyone but Andretti? Yeah, that also happened.

Michael’s stepping down from the ownership role and letting someone else unrelated to the family captain the ship is a smart move, and it could help Andretti Cadillac’s situation. If Liberty Media hates Mario and Michael so much, perhaps they’ll love Towriss. After all, he’s already been spending loads of money as a sponsor in F1. Every bit helps, y’know?

Perhaps Maffei and F1 would be willing to open the door to Andretti Cadillac as long as an Andretti is not at the helm—or maybe they won’t? Swapping the leading man is a good start, though a sad one. The racing business is already brutal enough without this drama worthy of a Mexican telenovela. While not everyone’s cup of tea, Mario, Michael, and even Marco (who stopped racing full-time a few years back) have done and continue to do their fair share of good for the racing industry. They employ hundreds of people, bring in sponsors, and continue to promote motorsports worldwide through their IndyCar, Indy NXT, Formula E, Extreme E, IMSA, Super Copa, and Australian Supercars teams.

Maybe a year from now, we can add Formula 1 to that list.

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