Last year, Michael Andretti began to show interest in entering Formula 1 through the purchase of the Alfa Romeo team, but his ambition was to be present in the Grand Circus with his own team, and not just as the owner of someone already established. .
The structure he owns, Andretti Autosport , had very advanced talks with those from Hinwil and the Sauber group, but the deal fell through at the last minute.
However, last February, the former American Formula 1 driver had not given up hope of having a team in the highest category of motorsports. With Andretti Global , he applied to the FIA for a license to become America’s second joint runner-up in the Grand Circus, thus making one of his dreams come true from 2024, further expanding his automotive empire to include IndyCar. , Supercars, Formula E and Extreme E.
However, the FIA made it clear almost immediately that it was not in a position to assess Andretti Global’s request, and it seems they were not lying, as the Americans have yet to hear from the international motorsport federation.
“We were hoping to find out by now,” the 1993 McLaren driver told RACER . “But unfortunately it is not like that, we hope it will happen soon.”
Meanwhile, Andretti and his team have not stood idly by, and have continued to work very hard on the plans surrounding their possible entry into Formula 1 in the short term: “Behind the scenes we are doing a lot and preparing ourselves, because we have to start “.
“We have to fix things and wait for the FIA to give us permission to take advantage of the opportunity,” continued the owner of one of the largest structures in the motor world.
Preparations appear to be on the right track, and Andretti is currently exploring the options of setting up a factory in Britain to serve as its headquarters, as are most of the teams on the grid, and the mirror where they look, Haas, which has a US license but its headquarters is in Banbury.
They are also in full search of a supplier of power units, and everything points to Renault, as they are the only ones currently supplying engines to a single team on the grid, Alpine.
The most important thing is still missing, that the FIA gives the green light to Andretti Global to increase the number of teams in Formula 1, going from 20 to 22 single-seaters, something that has not been seen since 2014, and it is more than likely seeing the expansion of the US market, where it would be very beneficial to have another set.
