Undaunted by the sport's rejection, Michael Andretti is pushing ahead with his dream of seeing his cars on the F1 grid.

While F1, with the full support of the majority of the teams, officially rejected the American outfit's entry in January, claiming, among other things, that it would not be competitive and would therefore not "add value" to the sport, Michael Andretti and his father, the legendary Mario Andretti, have not been put off and have continued to pursue their dream.

With F1 offering hope in the form of a possible entry in 2028, Andretti continues its preparations, and yesterday opened a new facility at Silverstone.

"We are still working along with FOM and we will show that we are bringing a lot to the party," Michael Andretti told Sky Sports. "General Motors is coming to the party, they are not just coming to be here, they are coming here to be a big part of our team, and I think it's not been understood yet how big that is.

"They are currently building an engine," he continued. "They are already registered to do it. So we will have an engine in '28, but obviously we need to build to get there. To just, all of a sudden, show up in '28 with a new engine and no team, we need two years to build there to get there that when we do get our own engine the team's ready to go and be competitive.

"So we are not naive in any way in that way," he insisted. "And I think once everybody understands what we are really putting together, it'll be a point where they can't say no."

One of the biggest objections raised by the teams is that an 'extra' team would dilute the prize, but Andretti argues that this is a short-sighted view.

"We feel that we're not going to be diluting the pot, we feel like we're going to be helping raise the pot, and when the pot gets bigger, then everybody is going to share more in it," he said. "It's been a little frustrating, but we'll get our point across."

Indeed, Andretti's ambitions would put many of the current teams to shame, for he intends setting up junior teams in F2 and F3 to nurture American talent and even targets a WEC entry.

"This is going to be mainly for F1, these two facilities," said Andretti, according to Autosport. "But we also want to bring in our Formula E team and start integrating it here.

"Our goal is to have an F3/F2 team to help support the F1 team, and then maybe even a WEC team. So we want to make this our hub for the European racing. So a lot of a lot of cool plans in this area.

"It's not just American drivers," he insisted, "but it'll be a good ladder for American drivers. We're going to still be looking for the best talent in the world, but it's going to give an American driver a fair chance, because normally when an American comes over here, they're not treated the same.

"Here in our team, you're going to be treated fairly, all the way up through the system and plus for us, we'll then be able to really tell the talent, how real it is or not. Because a lot of times you don't know, some father might be paying for 200 days of testing and things like that to make their kid look good! So here we'll know what we have.

"General Motors has never been in Formula 1 so to have them come with us says something because they were not just going to do it just on their own, they wanted to do it with a partnership like us. So I think the whole way we're going about it is something that's never been done before and that's going to be huge for Formula 1, especially in the United States with having an all-American car being built in America with American owners, American engine and American driver.

"It's never been done before, and I think with the American market which is still very much untapped it's only going to help it explode. So to us, it's a no-brainer, and I think to almost anybody you talk to it's a no-brainer, so we've still got to talk to FOM and get them to understand that it's going to be better for everybody."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by kenji, 14/04/2024 11:35

"@Max Noble....You may well be right in your forecasts and I may be massively wrong. Seeing just how rapidly things can change as we go forward though has led me to look at this somewhat differently. As i said earlier GM/Cadillac have racing history and secondly the Andrettis are a very successful racing entity with results to their credit..across different motorsport disciplines. By comparison this grouping cannot, IMO, be measured realistically against the likes of Stoddart or Haas. I don't expect them to be winning races from the start but I do expect that they will be competitive very early on with regular top ten finishes."

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2. Posted by Max Noble, 14/04/2024 5:04

"@Kenji - Quite! Toyota famously failed to go well. What is the “magic ingredient” which turns good into great, into championship winning? As long as Andretti has, say, a decade to get it right, then the teaming with Cadillac can work out. If they are expecting “Championships within three years” they are doomed. Realistic expectations, coupled with a long term determination… and then the magic pixie dust.

Like Paul Stoddart, and Gene Haas before them… they are going to find out the hard way what it takes to win.

Personally I want to see them on the grid ASAP as I think it is good for everyone. As Audi are the VW-group entry we’re not going to see Porsche on the grid anytime soon. So how about a state-backed Great Wall entry from China…? That would be fascinating to watch…!

So we are all watching the race to second on track… thankfully the courts, and corporate lawyers are providing plenty of off-track action!
"

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3. Posted by kenji, 14/04/2024 0:53

"@Max Noble...IIRC Andretti had a deal to use Renault engines until their own Cadillac units were ready for use. Yes, the Renault deal elapsed but recently they said that they were willing to open new talks. If they manage to get their entry over the line they will have three years to build and test prior to introduction. I just happen to feel that with the changes to engines already pretty much determined that Andretti will be well prepared. That's just my opinion. I may well be wrong but I do understand the complexity of what they are facing and that they will be ready when the time comes. Cadillac have quite a lengthy racing history and Andretti likewise. I do support their endeavours to challenge the elites. If they fail then so be it but conversely if they are successful ....?"

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4. Posted by Max Noble, 13/04/2024 12:00

"@Kenji - RB have a huge head start being based off Honda knowledge. Ford have been in and out of F1 for decades. They know what they are getting into… GM simply do not. They do not know what they do not know, and with the glorious American overconfidence believe they will nail it. Look at BAT with BAR-Honda. Look at Hass. Their first year will be a sock.

@Spindoctor - many thanks! I agree that it is the totality of solution required that makes it so darn complex!

"

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5. Posted by Spindoctor, 12/04/2024 9:58

"I tend to agree with @Max Noble. F1's history is littered with the corpses manufacturers who thought they could make great Formula 1 engines & that was before we got into the complexities of KERS, electrification & assorted forms of energy recovery.
Part of the problem is that in addition to simply banging-out big power numbers there is packaging inside F1 cars' limited spaces, heat management & how you manage power delivery. The latter is now heavily interlinked with the electrical power systems, which in turn feeds into the drive & brake-by-wire systems....
All of the above is also affected by, and affects the mechanical design of the cars & will be influenced by aero considerations .

Life is never as "simple" as many would like (see Mr Noble's "The Straight Line Paradox"). The superficial "simplification" of the revised PUs might actually lead to the need for much greater complexity in their design, just in different areas to those involved in the current PUs.

"

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6. Posted by kenji, 12/04/2024 1:07

"@Max Noble...given that a great deal of complexity/cost has been dialled out of the new '26 engine iteration I see the chances of a Ford/RBTech engine as being a force to be reckoned with from the very start, likewise Audi. I know that in the past it has taken monumental sums of $$$ and years of dedicated perseverance before all is hunky dory but times have changed ,like the engine parameters,mentioned previously, so we should be good for cheaper, reliable engines that have increased output that in turn, hopefully translates into better racing."

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7. Posted by ChickenFarmerF1, 11/04/2024 15:31

"Nice little dig at the Stroll family."

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8. Posted by Max Noble, 11/04/2024 12:26

"OK… so GM have never been in F1 before and are about to produce a top flight engine… they should talk to Honda about their return to the sport…"

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There will be a point when they can't say no, says Andretti

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