Mario Andretti asks for more respect from F1 teams
While Andretti wants to enter Formula 1 in 2024, Mario Andretti has responded to the criticisms of current teams questioning the project's credibility. The 1978 world champion assures that his team is already well-prepared and asks for more respect.
The Andretti family is no longer hiding it: they want to form their own Formula 1 team. Highly established in the United States, particularly in IndyCar where their team Andretti Autosport is one of the top structures, the family wants to move up to the next level by becoming the eleventh Formula 1 team.
But the arrival of new competitors is not viewed with a very positive eye by the current teams who fear having to divide their earnings into eleven shares rather than ten. Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes, expressed doubts about the credibility of the project led by Michael Andretti.
All teams have invested substantial amounts over the past ten years to get to this point. If a new team is able to bring us more than what it costs, we should sit down at a table and discuss it. But so far, this proof has not yet been provided, explains the Austrian.
Words that quite annoyed Mario Andretti, the Formula 1 World Champion in 1978, who does not want to be looked down upon by the Mercedes director.
« Toto Wolff spoke very openly about our credibility. With me, however, he speaks in a different way.” retorted Mario Andretti. « I find his criticism very disrespectful, as we have been involved in motorsport for much longer than him. I respect his success so far, but he has no reason to look down on us.
The former driver, who was also the winner of the 1969 Indianapolis 500, regrets the blockade implemented by the Formula 1 teams, while the FIA seems to have given its approval for Andretti’s entry as the eleventh team.
« The FIA is very open towards us and we have met all the requirements. Now, we are waiting for them to give us a figure for the cost of paying the teams so that we can enter. » details Mario Andretti. « We know that it’s an amount around 200 million dollars. They probably want more now, but so far, we are waiting for a response.
Andretti is aiming for an entry into Formula 1 by 2024 and already has an agreement with Renault for the French company to supply them with an engine. The American team initially tried to buy Sauber (owner of Alfa Romeo), but the deal fell through. Therefore, it is only by creating a new team that Andretti will be able to enter the premier category.
The Italian-origin family already has single-seater cars competing in several categories, notably in IndyCar and Formula E. According to Mario Andretti, his team is already prepared to enter Formula 1 by securing the services of qualified personnel and lucrative sponsors.
(D) [The F1 teams] always ask how we want to be competitive. I tell them: let that be our problem! You don’t know our preparations. We don’t even need to hire new people, we have highly experienced individuals who possess the necessary knowledge. Financially, we have credible partners who are aware of the scope of the project. We have been planning our program for a long time because that’s all we want. We deserve more respect. (F) declares the former world champion.
It will certainly take a few more months before we know if Andretti will succeed in convincing the ten teams to let them enter Formula 1 in 2024.
