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.
sign in