Andretti Racing admits it’s five to twelve years for the Formula 1 project

While the potential entry for Porsche and Audi could count on plenty of applause from Formula 1 policymakers, Michael Andretti’s desire to break out into the sport appears less enthusiastic. The director of marketing for the US team, Jean-Francois Thurman, acknowledges that the deadline to start the project is very close.

Formula 1 is more popular than ever and Liberty Media recently showed an exponential growth in the turnover of the first category. So it’s no surprise that different brands and teams are interested in a place in the sport. Porsche and Audi have already expressed their intention to enter from 2026, and Michael Andretti also wants to participate in the First Division, but at his request he was told a few months ago that the FIA ​​was not currently considering forming a new team. Despite that message, the American persisted.

“Share from 2024”

Bee Speedweek.com Thurman explains the plan for the American racing stable. He reveals that the team plans to enter the first division as early as 2024, but the deadline to start is just around the corner. “We are not waiting for the final version of the rules from 2026, we want to get in earlier. But time will be tight for the plan from 2024. Yes, the deadline is already very close,” he says. The sport is hot in the US, so it would be best if a second US team had an American rider in attendance. “We’ll see who’s best suited,” he says. “An American would be very good, but that’s not consistent.” In addition, Thormann is also in talks with all engine suppliers to determine the best buyer for the team.

Barriers

Before Andretti Autosport can even start thinking about being involved in the first division, he must convince other teams of the added value, but the FIA ​​also has to agree and this party has not been benevolent in recent months. Toto Wolff said earlier that the extra team should have a clear added value to the other racing stables. Small teams also take care of the distribution of prize money, which will then go to more teams and therefore less left for each individual team. The FIA ​​reportedly wants to avoid advertising the team with great fanfare and then annoyingly quit the sport after a few disappointing years, so the team must come up with a plan that will allow it to launch an attack on top.

Horner welcomes Andretti

The Red Bull Racing team boss, unlike some of his teammates, is open about American involvement. Christian Horner has to admit that finances dominate this story, but if he thought about it further, he wouldn’t expect any trouble. Stefano Domenicali [Formule 1-CEO] They have to sell to the other teams that they will lose 5, 10 or 15 million dollars to another team. Why do they agree to that? ‘, explains to Martin Brandl about the financial picture Sky Sports F1. On the business side, he expects a tough fight, but on the sporting side, he welcomes participation. “Andretti or Pinsky, those are really huge names and an American team out there, of course we already have Haas, but a big name like Andretti would be great,” Horner said.