When Mario Andretti tweeted about his son, Michael Andretti, having submitted paperwork to the FIA concerning a potential 2024 entry to the F1 grid, it caught the world of motorsport off guard. Partly due to the nature of the way the news was delivered. Now, it appears, the reason for such a public announcement was to prompt the FIA into giving a response (which they are still yet to do) and on top of this, a timeline of a month has been set by Andretti to receive a decision.

Much speculation and delight came from the initial tweet written by motorsport legend Mario Andretti. Having shared the fact that Andretti Global had applied to the FIA for a team on the grid in 2024, the world of F1 and IndyCar waited to see what would be announced next. Now, during preparations for IndyCar’s season opener this coming Sunday in St. Petersburg, Michael Andretti appears to be growing restless.

Michael Andretti alluded to the fact that he had expected a decision from the FIA in early January. Hence the decision for his father, the 1978 F1 champion, to publicise the move through twitter and send the rumour mill into a frenzy. Not to mention the intention that the hype would demonstrate to the FIA how many people are on board with the idea of the Andretti name returning to Formula One.

“I think we check every box,” Michael Andretti said as reported by apnews.com. “We’re a long way down the road with a manufacturer. There’s nothing that should us hold back from being accepted. But our thing is, the clock’s running, so we need to get this going ASAP. Because two years sounds like a long time. But it’s not a long time. We’ve got a lot to do, a lot to build. We’ve talked to a lot of people. They’re just sitting on the sideline waiting to see this thing go, and we can build a real credible team. I’m excited if we can get the approval, we can come in looking good.”

Despite the fact the announcement of Andretti Global’s intention received a largely positive response, there were some people unimpressed – namely team principal of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Toto Wolff.  

“10 teams are enough [for F1] More than that only dilutes the income," Wolff was quoted by European media outlet Auto Motor und Sport. Such comments have not gone unnoticed by Michael Andretti:

“Toto’s going out there, ‘What do you bring to the table?’ I think we bring a lot, and I think we’ll bring a lot more than what we’ll be diluting,” Andretti said.

Motorsport.com has reported that Mario Andretti revealed the fact that Andretti Global has an engine deal with Renault and a UK-based factory.

“We’re not just new boys in town,” said the 1978 F1 World Champion. “We know the prerequisites and also there’s a time factor here. Once we said go ahead, we’ve got to go. So a lot of work has been done. We know where the facility is going to be built in the UK. We know we have people, prominent individuals that have done this type of work as far as start-ups. We have a lot of things in mind. We have formal agreement now on the engine supplier and it’s out there, it’s going to be Renault, I’m allowed to say it now.”

If ever F1 was ready for an American team it is surely now due to the United States having two races on the calendar in 2022. Not only this but there is also speculation of Las Vegas joining the calendar soon – which would bring the total to three on US soil.  At present, F1 does not have an American driver on the grid.

https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/24189/f1-binotto-quot-they-will-be-free-to-fight-quot

Scott Speed, the last American to race in Formula One, came from rich pedigree having been in the same Red Bull young driver program as Daniel Ricciardo and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. It was widely reported at the time that Speed was more than talented enough to be on the grid. However, a supposed poor attitude coupled with a lack of points from 28 races for Toro Rosso saw him replaced by Sebastian Vettel halfway through the 2007 F1 season.

Nevertheless, 2024 may see an American return to the F1 grid (if Andretti’s interest comes to fruition) as Michael Andretti seems set to place the talented 21-year-old Colton Herta in his car. The Californian racer made a lot of new fans after his performance at Race of Champions, and he would be a certain fan favourite in F1.  

“That’s our case. The American market is still untapped, but obviously with the Netflix series, that’s really brought a lot of popularity ... I believe we can bring more longevity to the Netflix series to have a real American team with an American driver,” Andretti said to apnews.com. “I believe with our brand, I think it could keep a lot of interest going for a lot more years.”

The week’s past events may pave the way for an opportunity even before 2024. Due to the wide speculation around the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all eyes are on Haas F1 Team and the financial fallout this may bring. Haas have already removed the logos of its Russian sponsor Uralkali and team principal Guenther Steiner has admitted that he was not sure if his Russian driver Nikita Mazepin will be able to compete.

Michael Andretti has previously stated that he’d prefer to purchase a current team than to start one from scratch and has also admitted to reaching out to Haas owner Gene Haas “millions of times” to try to purchase that team – such an opportunity may yet come to pass.

Michael Andretti has gone on record to say that if Gene Haas would sell to him, then Andretti Global could be on the F1 grid next season.

“He doesn’t want to sell. If he wants to sell, tell him to call me. That makes it a lot easier for us,” Andretti said. “The last conversation I had with him was probably around October or November. He told me he didn’t care if he’s running in the back, says it works for him anyway.”

At the time of this publication, Guenther Steiner had said there had been no recent contact from either Mario or Michael Andretti. However, as we know, things move fast in Formula One and sadly so too do global events. This is where our real concern should lie as we hope for peace at such an uncertain time.