Andretti has issued a brief statement in reaction to the FIA's confirmation that it has approved the American outfit's bid to enter Formula One.

"Andretti Cadillac is honoured that the FIA has approved Andretti Formula Racing's Expression of Interest for the FIA Formula One World Championship,” it reads.

"We appreciate the FIA's rigorous, transparent and complete evaluation process and are incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to compete in such a historic and prestigious Championship.

"The formation of this distinctly American team is an important moment of pride for all our employees and fans," it continues.

"We feel strongly that Andretti Cadillac's deep racing competencies and the technological advancements that come from racing will benefit our customers while heightening enthusiasm for F1, globally.

"We look forward to engaging with all of the stakeholders in Formula One as we continue our planning to join the grid as soon as possible."

As the FIA made clear yesterday in its statement, and what has been clear ever since Mohammed ben Sulayem first began the application process, is that Formula One Management and a majority of the teams are against the idea of an eleventh team, so while Andretti has cleared this first hurdle the hard part is yet to come.