Formula 1 | Andretti not ruling out arrival via Haas F1 takeover
Michael Andretti wants to enter Formula 1 in 2024 with his own team but, for the moment, the FIA has not officially launched a call for applications for an 11th team.
With a very worrying situation for Haas F1, which is likely to lose support from Uralkali as a result of the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine, the American was asked if he could come to his aid and ultimately , to make life easier by buying Haas F1.
And Andretti reveals that he already has « made millions of attempts » with Gene Haas, without success so far.
« We’ve been talking for two years but Gene wasn’t interested in selling. We’ll see if this new situation (with Russia) will change things. If he wants us to call him, we will. And he has my number. He’s quite funny but hard to decipher. Maybe he’ll get sick of it all, I don’t know. »
In case Andretti should finally arrive with his own team, in 2024, some barriers remain to be overcome. The American was thus angry after the assertion of the boss of Mercedes F1 this week.
Toto Wolff said two more cars on the F1 grid would dilute competition and team revenue, and said Andretti would have to prove himself to earn his place in F1.
« Toto asks ‘What are you bringing to the table?’ And even though we’re not a builder, I think we bring a lot, and I think we’ll bring a lot more than we’re watering down. »
« I think we tick every box, » added Michael Andretti. « We are well engaged with a manufacturer (Renault, read here). There is nothing that should prevent us from being accepted as the 11th team. »
« But our thing is that the clock is ticking, so we have to start as soon as possible. Because two years may seem like a long time. But it’s not long. We have a lot to do, a lot to build « We’ve spoken to a lot of people. They’re just on the sidelines waiting for this to happen. We can build a real, credible team. If we can get approval, we can come in with a bang. »
Andretti adds that Wolff’s statement « makes no sense because F1 has to expand to the USA and has to support the arrival of another American team ».
« Indirectly, we think we’re going to bring a lot to F1 and therefore everyone in terms of revenue. I think what we could do with F1 in the US is still very much untapped and there’s a lot to win here. »
« And I think with a real American team and driver, not a Russian driver, we can at least bring in over $100 million in net income, which is more than what we would earn in terms of bonuses. »
« Again, the American market is still untapped, but obviously the Netflix series has really brought a lot of popularity there… I believe that we can bring more longevity to the Netflix series with a real American team and with a pilot American. »
