Time is running out for Andretti Autosport to make participation in 2024 possible. The team has regularly indicated its intention to join and has also taken official steps to do so, but there is still no approval from the FIA and the teams. If the team really wants to join in a little less than two years, there is still a lot to be done, so time is running out.
Where many motorcycle manufacturers only want to step in when new regulations for 2026 come into effect, Andretti Autosport doesn’t have that need. They want to join the sport two years ago. “We are not waiting for the final version of the rules from 2026, we want to intervene earlier. But for the plan to go into 2024, it is now a bit tight. Yes, that deadline is very close,” said Jean-François Thurman, Director of Marketing by the team speed week.
Before the team is ready to actually compete in Formula 1, there is still a lot to be done, and without approval from the FIA and the teams to allow Andretti to join, it will be difficult to take those steps so far. Although a new plant in America has already started, the one in Europe that the team currently owns for Formula E is not enough and so a new base has to be established there as well. “Our current Formula E base, the former Marussia factory in Banbury, is not enough.”
Engine Supplier and Drivers Registration
Not only is it good for the factory to see if the team will get approval, it also has to select an engine supplier. Renault appears to be the most obvious choice, as they don’t have a customer team yet, but all options are still open, according to Thurman. “We’re talking to all potential partners,” he says, and the drivers remain fully open, despite rumors that Colton Hertha will get a seat. “We’ll see who’s better. The American would be very good, but that’s not a stone.
