Former F1 world champion Mario Andretti has not given up on putting the Andretti Global F1 Team on the grid in 2024, saying the project is still “preparing as if it had been given the go-ahead”.
Towards the end of 2021, it was first reported that Andretti was interested in entering F1 by taking over a majority stake in the Sauber F1 team. However, the talks broke down due to a team management issue.
A few months later, in February 2022, Mario Andretti announced on Twitter that his son, Michael Andretti, had drawn up the appropriate paperwork for the FIA to form an 11th team for the 2024 season. ) announced that he had present to
The news was completely opposed by F1 team principals such as Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. Only Zak Brown and McLaren, who also own teams in IndyCar like Andretti, have shown support for the newcomer.
“To be honest, the response so far has obviously been very disappointing,” said Mario Andretti.
“But at the same time, we are trying to find out what is being asked of us and try to satisfy it. I don’t know what else we can do.”
“We are working on this project every day and aim to be on the grid in 2024. We are preparing as if the license had been granted.”
“Michael is working on it and that is what we expect. We are certainly not giving up. It is a very important project for us and we are ready to make that investment.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also opposed Andretti’s plans, sharing a similar view with Toto Wolff that only teams that provide value to the grid like Audi should be allowed entry.
Christian Horner’s claims relate to concerns that the profits paid by F1 would be split equally between different teams, diluting everyone else’s income.
“Sometimes I hear different opinions from different teams and I wonder why they can be so disrespectful. I don’t think we deserve it,” continued Mario Andretti.
“Our intentions are good for the sport. I don’t see why the investment isn’t good. It’s going to be extremely stressful for all the teams, especially considering the 24-race season next year.”
“Being able to guarantee a full grid is insurance if there is a team that might drop out of a race or something like that, we have at least 11 teams, so 22 drivers in the future.”
Category: F1 / Andretti
