The FIA have approved Andretti's application to join the Formula 1 grid, with discussions now being passed on to the Formula One Management (FOM) to negotiate commercial rights.
While this is a great first step towards officially welcoming an 11th team to the grid, life will still be difficult for the crew behind the Andretti bid, as they have to deal with the negotiations and hurdle that Formula 1, and the current teams, have in place before they can officially join the championship in the next few years.
Several bids were placed with the FIA to join the grid, but after a "comprehensive application process", Andretti were the only candidate to meet the "stringent criteria" allowing them to continue through to the next phase of discussions and formalities.
"I congratulate Michael Andretti and his team on a thorough submission. I also want to thank all prospective teams for their interest and participation." - Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President
The prospective entry would likely be on the 2026 grid, to go alongside the new major regulation changes that introduce new power unit regulations.
Unfortunately for Andretti, however, it will be an uphill battle to make their way onto the grid because there doesn't appear to be much immediate support from the current grid and commercial rights holders to welcome a new team, as it would mean splitting the prize pool between more competitors, and thus likely less money for the existing teams overall.