1978 world champion, and arguably one of the finest drivers to grace motorsport, Mario Andretti is incensed at the sport's attitude towards his son's proposed F1 team.

Rather than list the various disciplines in which Mario Andretti has raced - and won!!! - it would be a lot easier to name those in which he hasn't participated.

It's a much overused term, but the guy really is a living legend.

That however, should in no way guarantee him or his son the right to expect their proposed F1 team to be accepted without comment, however if should guarantee them a lot more respect than has been shown to them both by Formula One Management (FOM) and the majority of the teams.

To claim that their team "would not provide value to the championship" was an outrageously insulting thing to say, as was the suggestion that Andretti - four time winners of the IndyCar Championship, 6 time winners of the Indy 500 and currently competing in Indy NXT, Formula E, Extreme E, and with joint entries in IMSA and the Australian Supercars Championship - would not be a "competitive participant".

Speaking to AP in Long Beach last weekend, Mario didn't hold back when asked about the sport's treatment of his son's proposed entry.

"I was offended, actually," he admitted. "I don't think we deserved that, to be honest with you.

"It's a big investment in the series, and you'd think they'd welcome that," he continued. "Even the value of the series is more valuable with eleven teams than ten, so I don't know. Tell us what is really wrong."

Andretti also found it particularly galling that effectively having rubbished General Motors as the team's engine partner, the sport then sought to encourage the American giant to enter without Andretti

"That's another offensive statement there," said Andretti. "We're the ones that worked it out, and GM said it over and over, 'Andretti or nothing', and then F1 still tried to take it.

"There's an undercurrent there that I don't understand, quite honestly," he admitted. "But if they want blood, well, I'm ready."

Next weekend's Miami Grand Prix weekend will see Andretti hold further talks with FOM, and the 1979 world champion is hoping that the sport's representatives will take things more seriously.

"We've only had one meeting with them," he said. "That's a problem, we haven't had enough. That's why I really welcome our next meeting.

"You know... let's sit down. There were some opportunities missed along the way, but we've got to look forward, not back.

"I'm remaining hopeful because we never stop working towards this," he added. "It was made clear that our work is at pace, and as you can see we're not just talking. We're putting brick and mortar together. We've shown that with the team that already has a place in Silverstone.

"We're trying to say 'We'll do whatever you ask of us. We'll do whatever is there. Now, if you think of something, you tell us', but they haven't told us yet except for some excuses like, 'Oh we don't want you coming in, we don't want you to be embarrassed'.

"But we don't want to embarrass ourselves, and the fact is General Motors has made it so clear that they're excited about this project. They have a long-term commitment there, and I don't know what else we can do."

Stick with it like you always did Mario, don't let the b******s get you down.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Ricardo_sanchez, 25/04/2024 18:34

"@editor - Mario was F1 WDC in 1978, not ‘79. Confusingly enough, it was the gorgeous Lotus 79 that propelled him to the title. Still one of the best-looking F1 cars to have turned a wheel. "

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2. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 25/04/2024 17:06

"Buying an existing team is out of the question for Andretti. They have their own technical center and want that to be the genesis of their racing operations."

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3. Posted by Alex_V10_USA, 25/04/2024 13:39

"There are multiple clown-car teams on the grid at present - including a factory squad! The idea that Andretti should be ignored while the USA market is booming makes zero business sense for F1 as an entity, but makes perfect sense to the backmarker outfits who'd find themselves further afield."

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4. Posted by kenji, 25/04/2024 12:07

"@Max Noble all very very interesting. You reasoning is very astute and most likely is correct. My in depth knowledge of the band is nowhere as comprehensive as yours. Well spotted."

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5. Posted by Max Noble, 25/04/2024 11:24

"@Kenji - “If you want Blood You’ve Got it” was a live album released October 1978. The only AC/DC live album to feature Bon Scott. So I only referenced tracks from this album in my previous comment. It’s possible Mario was listening to this album during his 1979 title year. As he started the statement with “If you want blood…” it was also a great fit. “Thunderstruck” was only released as the lead single from “The Razors Edge” in 1990. I fully agree it is a monster track… it just happens to be 12 years too late for the “If you want blood…” vibe.

@Anthony - I cry now. Many years spent trying to get Americans and the French to understand one another. It was the best of times… and the worst of times… Thankfully we had many darn fine dinners…
"

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6. Posted by Anthony, 25/04/2024 10:48

"During a long business career I dealt with a lot of Americans whose approach was “this is the way that we do things in America and so we will do it here also”, regardless of local business practice and regulations. I was reminded of this by some of the earlier comments by the Andrettis which seemed to have an element of “we have decided that this is what we want to do and therefore you have to accommodate us.” I can’t help but feel that they have approached this by assuming that they have an undeniable right to participate because they choose to, rather than articulating a convincing business proposal demonstrating how the existing businesses will benefit by amending existing contracts to admit them."

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7. Posted by kenji, 25/04/2024 10:23

"@ Max Noble....In your scenario AC/DC's greatest ever song , 'Thunderstruck' needs to be given a prime place. IMO it stands supreme in their history,. It doesn't get any better. Mario is standing in the middle of the track.
"

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8. Posted by Max Noble, 25/04/2024 3:02

"As long as he’s playing AC/DC’s “If you want blood you got it” album as he stalks into the paddock. I’d open with “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”, before fading into “The Jack” as Toto and Christian come into picture. I’d do a montage of arguments to “Problem Child”, before edging towards an outcome while “Let There Be Rock” bounces off the walls… there we go. An entire episode of DTS in a paragraph…
"

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9. Posted by Alex_V10_USA, 24/04/2024 17:41

"FOM should be ashamed of themselves. As an American, I can't wait to score some Andretti F1 merch! "

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10. Posted by Tardis40, 24/04/2024 17:12

"Buying Haas also occurred to me. Could they still block him from doing that?"

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11. Posted by ChickenFarmerF1, 24/04/2024 17:09

"Agree with @Tardis40 and @BrightonCorgi. If they thought it would be another Haas type effort/result they wouldn't care.

I don't know how much Andretti has sunk into the effort so far, but if it's been a nominal amount they might have better acceptance, and faster success, buying Haas, Williams, VCARB, or AMR (which would please me to no end as it would chuck Lance to the curb).

Still, whether they become an 11th team, or buy a struggling existing team, I want them on the grid. I won't go buy a Chevy no matter how well they do. But I want to see them win and enjoy the schadenfreude of the other teams whining. "

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12. Posted by Tardis40, 24/04/2024 16:18

"They're afraid he would be too competitive
"

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13. Posted by meatball, 24/04/2024 15:49

"to us laymen, it is plain as day - this is straight up politicking. The fear from the mid-pack is legitimate. GM and the likes of Andretti will not half-ass this effort. They have better roots and backing than Haas and the current rendition of Williams. They will challenge Alpine and VCARB from Day 1 and will be nipping at the heels of AMR by mid season. These guys won't eff around."

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14. Posted by ClarkwasGod, 24/04/2024 15:29

"Unfortunately Andretti Jr. started off on the wrong foot by trying to bludgeon his way in, putting the backs up of FOM and the teams. As much as they do deserve a place within F1 - and to give them a chance to succeed or not, maybe a more subtle approach might have produced a more favourable outcome. Personally, I hope they succeed, having watched both race in F1 (one being "slightly" more successful than the other)."

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15. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 24/04/2024 13:25

"It's pretty clear to most fans of F1, that the others teams are worried about Andetti-GM winning. "

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"If they want blood, I'm ready," says Mario Andretti

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