Mario Andretti confesses that son Michael Andretti had "personal" conflict with F1 that led to his exit

Racing legend Mario Andretti has admitted that his son Michael Andretti had some ongoing "personal" issues against Formula One Management (FOM) that led to his exit from Andretti Global. Michael stepped down as CEO and chairman of his namesake organization in September 2024, making partner Dan Towriss the majority owner.

The 1991 CART champion explained his shocking move by highlighting his need to cater to familial needs and other businesses. Once Towriss took over, he renewed the team's talks with F1 for a 2026 entry, which had been rejected in January last year when Michael Andretti was the face of the project.

Surprisingly, F1 gave Towriss the nod for the General Motors-backed Cadillac F1's 2026 entry, contrary to the 2028 timeline it had set during the previous rejection. Mario Andretti, who was appointed director of Cadillac F1 in November 2024, recently spoke about how he felt about his son Michael's exit from Andretti Global and the F1-related cause behind it.

"I mean, it's something you have to talk to Michael about, and he's quite happy with the way the whole thing was reasoned out. You know there, I don't know... there was just some personal things going on that I don't even understand there, you know with the FOM (Formula One Management)," the 4-time IndyCar champ said via SpeedFreaks on YouTube. [37:40 onwards]

Mario Andretti elaborated on how his son's move hasn't been one of guilt or associated with any negative emotions.

"It all worked out actually in the best possible way, honestly. So always look at the positive side. I don't dwell on the negative and Michael is quite honestly, is quite happy the way things worked out, and that's the main thing. So the whole thing (Cadillac F1 project) is going to go on and it's happening and that was the objective at the beginning, and we go on, we go forward," the 1978 F1 champ added.

In February, Mario had revealed how Michael identified himself as an "obstacle" to the team's F1 entry. Hence, he exited it. Cadillac F1 is currently fulfilling the pre-entry obligations with F1's governing body, the FIA, for the official green light for a 2026 entry.

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"Everybody is telling me I look happy" - Michael Andretti opens up on life post-retirement

AUTO: MAR 04 INDYCAR Series Streets of St. Petersburg - Source: Getty

Both Michael Andretti and his father Mario attended IndyCar's first race of 2025 - the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The junior Andretti opened up on his more relaxed life since giving up ownership of his team to Dan Towriss.

With no high-pressure IndyCar, Indy NXT and Formula E commitments to attend to, Michael Andretti felt and appeared at peace.

"No headaches. It's weird that I have no schedule. I'm not used to it, like, I don't know what to do. I'm happy. Everybody is telling me I look happy. I didn't know I was that miserable when I was here before. You're always tense. You're always thinking about what you've got to do next. Now it's not my problem. I'm enjoying it a lot. More than I expected," Michael Andretti said (via AP News)

Andretti Global had a decent outing on the streets of St. Petersburg to kick off the 2025 IndyCar season. Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson ran strong races to finish P5 and P6. The team's third driver, Colton Herta, who is Mario Andretti's top pick for a Cadillac F1 seat, started on the front row and was a top contender to win the race until a botched pit stop pulled him down for an eventual P16 finish.