Aston Martin owner, Lawrence Stroll remains strongly opposed to Andretti's bid to enter F1 despite the fact that it may cost the sport a new engine manufacturer.

His comment comes days after he agreed to sell an undisclosed stake in the team to Arctos Partners which is understood to have seen the Silverstone-based outfit valued at £1bn.

In October, Stroll said the sport should stick with ten teams, insisting that "if it isn't broken, you don't need to fix it".

"I'm a strong believer that it's working really well with ten teams right now, and believe that's the way it should stay," he added.

Last week General Motors announced that it had formally registered with the FIA as a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer starting in 2028. However, GM President, Mark Reuss made clear that his company would only enter the sport in partnership with Andretti.

"Our commitment to excellence will not be taken lightly as we continue planning to enter F1 as soon as possible and, in 2028, Andretti Cadillac will compete as a true American works team," he said.

"This historic partnership will accelerate the sport in the fast-growing U.S. market as well as globally," he added.

Nonetheless, Stroll remains convinced that F1 should stick with ten teams and that if Andretti wants to enter F1 it should buy an existing outfit.

"Look what Audi have done," he told ESPN, "Audi wanted to come in the sport and they bought a team. The right way to come in if you want to enter the NFL today, NHL hockey or any great sports franchise is that you've got to buy a team. Then it's just a question of money, so I do believe if they want to enter they should buy a team like others have done."

Of course, there would no doubt be a number of outfits willing to sell-up, Haas, Williams and AlphaTauri being the most obvious.

However, when one remembers how on his arrival at Williams James Vowles revealed that there had been no investment in the infrastructure for 20 years, one can understand why the likes of Andretti would want to start anew as opposed to buying the mess the previous owner had left behind.

For 2026, Aston Martin will partner with Honda which by then will have severed all connections with Red Bull.

However, Stroll is adamant that his objection to Andretti entering F1 with GM-owned Cadillac is not based on fear of the threat the newcomers might pose.

"I'm not worried from a competitive point of view," he said. "To start with, a blank piece of paper is a very challenging thing to do in this sport even with years of history.

"But listen, I wish them the best of luck and, as I mentioned, it's really not my decision, it's up to the FIA and FOM. We'll see what they decide."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by JClark-Monza1967, 24/11/2023 18:42

"The decision structure is broken if the naked self interest of a couple of teams can block something that clearly benefits the sport and the fans and teams themselves in the long run. Liberty has poured billions into the U.S. market and bringing in an obviously qualified U.S. team should be a no brainer. Any money that the current 10 teams might lose in the short term would be more than made up from more lucrative future TV contracts, etc. This current situation is just pathetic and it should be embarrassing to the teams that are opposing Andretti if they were in capable anything other than self destructive greed."

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2. Posted by kenji, 23/11/2023 0:40

"I would like to know just how long can Liberty/FOM legally string this decision out? Surely there needs to be an end date otherwise the entire exercise is a complete WOFTAM. Andretti would've checked out all the 'legals' prior to submission but no word has uttered other than vague media references. Maybe @ED could tap into his 'paddock' underground network to find some answers?"

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3. Posted by ZJAY, 22/11/2023 19:51

"1B is the price of entry in 2025."

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4. Posted by Burton, 22/11/2023 18:47

"Why wouldn't he sing from FOM's tune? They steered Force India into his lap instead of having to bid, and was spared the fee to register a new entry. His opinion here is worth less than toilet paper to me."

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5. Posted by estoril85, 22/11/2023 16:05

"All this posturing by the teams is really starting to get a little tiresome.

FIA rules stipulate a maximum of 12 teams in F1, Liberty were aware of this when they bought the sport.
Therefore the current concorde agreement has a dilution fee of $200 million.
All the teams are signed up to this.
Andretti have had their plans thoroughly inspected and approved by the FIA
Andretti have committed to paying the $200 million fee
Andretti Global, welcome to the piranha club!
"

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6. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 22/11/2023 13:41

"Stroll is shrewd and there must be more to it than a simple opposition.

Imagine if another big player decides to join like Ford? F1 can allow 12 teams and if both GM and Ford both wanted in; Stroll wouldn't be able to stop it.

Would love to see Ford more in F1 than GM, but I welcome both!"

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7. Posted by Superbird70, 22/11/2023 12:29

"Stroll has done his bit by selling and fixing the price for a middling F1 team at over 1 billion dollars, Bru ha ha ha ha!!"

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8. Posted by yakker, 22/11/2023 11:29

"Maybe if F1 reduces the teams to 2, Lance might make the podium."

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Stroll remains opposed to Andretti F1 bid

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