Andretti tackles F1 teams: “They only care about themselves”

« It's always nice to shut them up. " In interview given to Forbes, Michael Andretti announces the color. While its entry into the premier category of motorsport has never been so plausible, since the announcement of its alliance with the General Motors group and more particularly its Cadillac brand on January 5, the teams already present in Formula 1 are stepping up to the plate. “ They only care about themselves, and don't think about what's best for the future of sport in general. », asserts the son of the 1 F1978 world champion, Mario Andretti.

For those who failed in the Sauber takeover in 2021, the reason for the reluctance of other teams is obvious: “ It's all about money. They think they will lose a tenth of their fees and that we will get all the American sponsors back. »

The arrival of this new American team, which would be the second representative of the United States with Haas, would therefore divide the category's revenue into 11… instead of 10.

The boss of Mercedes Toto wolff was also quite explicit on the subject, asking Andretti to first prove that their arrival in F1 would not cause other teams to lose money. Atmosphere.

Andretti, alone against everyone… or almost

Andretti has allies. And allies of choice. The papaya stable McLaren, more precisely its director, and Alpine are on the front line. For the first, Zak Brown reveals himself to be one of Andretti's close friends: “ He gives me advice. We help each other. In particular, I helped him a lot when he wanted to enter IndyCar. It's a two-way friendship. »

As for Alpine, it could be that the blue-white-red brand becomes an engine supplier for the future Andretti team upon its arrival. An assumption largely qualified by the American… admitting despite everything that a 100% Cadillac engine could not see the light of day at the start of the team, supposed in 2025: “ Cadillac will be largely involved in the creation of the engine. It won't just be a Cadillac badged engine, they will have the intellectual property. »

Andretti's latest ally, and perhaps most important, is FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. As a reminder, the announcement of the partnership between Andretti and General Motors comes just after a tweet from the Emirati expressing the Federation's interest in the arrival of new teams.

I asked my @FIA team to look at launching an Expressions of Interest process for prospective new teams for the FIA @F1 World Championship

- Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) January 2, 2023

In one interview given to journalists present at the Dakar, including AUTOhebdo, he adds that an American manufacturer “ is a dream for F1 ". The sport visits the United States three times next season: Miami, Austin and Las Vegas. “ Mohammed understands. He's a driver, he knows that the category needs one or two more teams, analyzes Andretti. It's an FIA championship, and it has enough weight to make our request successful. »

Andretti remains confident, convinced of “ tick all the boxes » to integrate the top of the car. Those who oppose it? A simple additional source of motivation for the American who already sees further: if he obtains his ticket to F1, Andretti also intends to embark on the adventure of NASCAR.

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