Structure, Money and Tradition: Is Andretti the Right Team for Formula 1?
It’s no secret that Andretti is trying to get into Formula 1. A formal request to the FIA (Federation Internationale de Automobilismo) for the American group to become the 11th team on the grid in the category is another chapter in a novel that began in mid-2021, when Michael Andretti tried to acquire Sauber. , which would end Alfa Romeo’s stability on the team roster.
In November of last year, Andretti explained that money was not the factor that determined the failure to acquire the structure of the company from Hinvil, but the fact that he could not take control of the team, which arose at the last minute. , and eliminated any possibility of a settlement. The impasse at the end of the buying process “killed the business”, in the words of the CEO and president of the team, which bears his last name.
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Andretti in F1? The FIA applied the brakes (Photo: Indycar)
When asked again about the matter, Michael gave more details of the talks and classified Sauber’s position in the agreement as a “joke”. “It was a joke. There we were, the deal was done. We had set a date for the signing and literally two days before they changed the terms,” he revealed in a statement to Motorsport-Total.
“Basically, they (Sauber) wanted to maintain creative control. I denied it. They wanted veto rights over everything, all of a sudden. It was terrible. We wasted a lot of time.”, he explained.
Michael’s father Mario Andretti recently revealed that, in addition to meeting all requirements set by the FIA, the US team already has a formal agreement to use Renault engines in Formula 1. The ball is now in the domain of the regulatory body, which received – unofficially – a period of one month to give a definitive answer.
Some team bosses were not completely open to the idea of Andretti being in F1. For example, Toto Wolff and Christian Horner showed resistance to the American intent and concerns about the dilution of the financial amounts assigned to each team in the category in case of the entry of a new team.
Michael Andretti tries to build a team in Formula 1 (Photo: IndyCar)
Such resistance shocked Michael. “I was really surprised. I thought it would be an obvious decision to get our hands dirty and go for it. But clearly there is nothing like that in Formula 1. I hope people understand that we are something Not even reducing. That’s what Toto is all about. (Wolf) says we’re skinny. And we’re not”, he said.
“First, we’re raising $200 million, and secondly, we think here in the United States alone, with an American team and an American driver, we’re going to raise over $100 million,” Andretti said. said.
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