"This needed to be said"- Mercedes' Toto Wolff 'too powerful' for F1, says Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti has once again openly called out Mercedes boss Toto Wolff for the excessive power that the latter appears to wield in F1.

Andretti recently retweeted a post questioning whether Wolff had become too powerful in the sport, writing:

“This needed to be said; it’s about time”

Toto Wolff has grown in prominence in the last decade and his rise has coincided with the dominance enjoyed by Mercedes in the Turbo-Hybrid era. Now, the Austrian has become a roadblock for former F1 world champion Mario Andretti and his team Andretti Motorsport, who are hoping to enter the sport.

Andretti had made public his team's intention to join the sport earlier in the year. With immense vocal opposition from Wolff, however, it appears that the American's bid to enter the sport is getting stalled. Wolff had earlier commented that Andretti's entry would dilute the value received by other teams on the grid, saying:

“That [Andretti Motorsport adding value to F1] hasn’t been demonstrated yet, and that may sound a bit dry, because it comes down to the numbers, but the value of Formula 1 is that it’s a limited amount of franchises. And we don’t want to dilute that value by just adding teams.”

The Mercedes boss feels that Andretti Motorsport has not shown the ability to add as much value to the sport as other teams. He even claimed that the American outfit's addition could prove detrimental to the monetary benefits every other team receives, saying:

“Andretti is a great name, and I think they have done exceptional things in the US, but this is sport and this is business and we need to understand what is it that you can provide to the sport. We have 10 entries today. We divide the prize fund among those 10 entries. We have invested considerable amounts over the last 10 years.”

“I mean, each of the organisations that’s sitting here on the podium has probably put more than a billion into the Formula 1 projects over the years, so it needs to be accretive. If a team comes in, how can you demonstrate that you’re bringing in more money than it’s actually costing: because the 11th team means a 10 per cent dilution for everybody else.”

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Mario Andretti still hoping to enter F1 despite resistance from Mercedes boss

Mario Andretti revealed that his son Michael Andretti is still eager to join the F1 grid, despite Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's rather public resistance. Andretti Sr. claimed that his son Michael, who is the chairman of Andretti Motorsport, had always shown an interest in joining the F1 grid.

The 1978 F1 World Championship winner said:

“It’s been quite a while. I’ve been hearing him [Michael Andretti] talking about this in the last five years at least. It’s part of his ambition as a car owner. Motor racing is his business. He lives and breathes this sport like we always did. Now in his capacity as an owner, he just wants to take advantage of the opportunity to stay at the top level.”

While admitting that the resistance to their F1 entry was disappointing to see, Andretti Sr., however, asserted that his team was not giving up and would persistently try to enter the sport.

He said:

“Why not Formula 1? Gene Haas did it. He’s not a 100% racer – we’re 100% racers. He [Michael Andretti] has fabulous backing, people that are serious and capable. Everything is for the long-term. Obviously we’re experiencing some resistance – and it’s very disappointing at the moment. Are we giving up? No. I think we deserve to be there.”

While F1 could appear to be a selfish sport with every team and its owner looking to make the most profit, another team on the grid would mean an opportunity for two more drivers to race in F1. Despite Mercedes and other teams continuing to resist, the Andretti name opens the door to the American market and could hence pave the way for the team in the sport.