F1 | Former F1 driver Michael Andretti interested in becoming an F1 team owner
Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti seems interested to become part of the F1 circus again. Roumors has it that he could buy a F1 team or become a partner by acquiring some shares.
In the last few days, the will of the Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti to buy a Formula 1 team or to become part of the circus, becoming a reference partner of one of the existing ones, has transpired, revealed the magazine "Racer".
Michael Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti, former F1 world champion, and he himself raced in F1 in 1993 with McLaren, racing in 11 Grands Prix and obtaining his best result in Monza, during his last race, in which he is finished third.
He currently owns Andretti Autosport, one of the best IndyCar teams and with interests in other categories, with Zak Brown as a partner..
The team that in everyone's eyes would seem easier to buy would be Uralkali Haas, owned by his American colleague Gene Haas, in obvious financial difficulties. There would seem to be two options: to buy the whole team or just some shares, and becoming a Haas partner.
A new management would be a possibility of redemption for the team, which has been anchored at the bottom of the ranking for some time now. This year, in view of the new season and the new regulations, little has been done on the current car and from two rookies such as Mick Schumacher and his teammate, not much experience can be expected.
With an F1 entry fee of $ 200 million under the latest Concorde Agreement (2020), buying an existing team would be a cheaper investment than founding a new one, which would require a hefty sum of money.
There are two other teams with which a possible negotiation is envisaged: Alfa Romeo Racing (Sauber Motorsport) and Williams.
"It would be great, but there’s a long way to go if it were to happen," - Andretti told Racer - "If the right opportunity comes up, we’ll be all over it. But we're not there yet."
Andretti is partner of McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown in various championships such as Australian Supercars and Extreme E, he also runs programs in IndyCar, Formula E (where he has managed BMW official cars until this year as the manufacturer exited the sport last weekend), Indy Lights and IMSA.
His entry into Formula 1 would bring great experience to the entire Circus, but we are far from having a sure answer.
