"I think he's put forward a very compelling proposition," says McLaren CEO, Zak Brown of Michael Andretti's bid to enter F1.

While F1 and the majority of the teams appear indifferent to Andretti's bid, despite the backing of General Motors in the form of Cadillac, the American claims to have the support of both McLaren and Alpine, indeed he is understood to have a deal with Renault to supply the engines should his attempt to enter the sport prove successful.

Zak Brown has confirmed his support for his countryman.

"The Andretti name has such a rich history in multiple forms of motorsport. They also have great history in motorsport."

Indeed, when McLaren first looked to return to IndyCar with Fernando Alonso in 2017 it was with a branded Andretti Autosport car.

"I think he's put forward a very compelling proposition," said Brown, who was attending McLaren’s Formula E debut in Mexico City. "I think it shows the growth of Formula 1.

"We haven't had a new team in a long time, since Haas," he continued, "it's great to see Formula 1 attracting new markets, new teams, new sponsors. It's great to see they want to join the sport. I think he's put together a compelling team.

"I'm not close to what the big process is since we're in," he said of the recently announced call for interested parties to submit Expressions of Interest to the FIA. "But I know Andretti's working closely with the FIA.

"This tender process hasn't happened in a while," he added, "but what he's doing is bringing forward his brand, his reputation, and his partners in making the best presentation possible. Then the FIA and Formula 1 will go through the process.

"I'm just excited that there's this excitement of new teams that want to join F1," he admitted. "I think there are also other entities, as Stefano commented on, that are looking to join.

"I think that talks to the health of the sport. what's great is that the manufacturers coming in talks to the demand and the health of motorsport in general in the moment we're in, which is great. Long may it continue."