Lewis Hamilton has clarified his position on Andretti’s proposed F1 entry, stating that he is not in favour of the American organisation joining the grid, despite broadly supporting the idea of new teams entering the sport.
Andretti, who are already a major player in the IndyCar and Formula E series and a legendary name in the motorsport sphere, would bring a never-before-seen interest in the sport from the United States with an American driver likely to follow their F1 entry.
Young IndyCar stars Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood would be the frontrunners for the two seats as things stand. Both have major pedigree behind them in the IndyCar series and would bring new eyes to the series from the States, adding to the hype generated by new races in Miami and Las Vegas.
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The idea of a new team on the grid hasn’t gone down so well with some of the F1 teams with Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll coming out publicly in his opposition to the entry, stating that the current formula of a ten-team grid isn’t broken and therefore should not be fixed.
When asked about the idea of Andretti joining the grid on Thursday, Hamilton said: “Yeah, I think it’s great. I’ve always felt there weren’t enough cars on the grid. While there’s definitely people that won’t be happy for me to be supportive of it, I think it’s great.
“It’s an opportunity for more jobs, it’s another two seats available for a female driver to come through. It opens up more possibilities, and I think it would be more exciting for the race.”
However, Hamilton took to the X social media channel on Friday to clarify his thoughts, replying to a fan by writing: “Nope, don’t support Andretti. Just the idea of another team in future if it’s a chance to make our sport more diverse.”
While Hamilton isn’t convinced about Andretti’s arrival, some drivers were positive when asked about their entry. Addressing the debate, Max Verstappen said: “Of course, I am not a team owner, but I can understand their side. But everything I have seen so far, plus I think the partners they have, and the name, they have shown that they are a professional team.
“So it would be I think it’s nice because it gives more opportunities for the drivers’ side. But I can understand it from the teams’ side that they don’t want it. So it is a tricky one, a tough one.”
