Michael Andretti says what the F1 partnership with General Motors will be will have to be seen to be believed as it will be “comparable to Mercedes and Ferrari”, but time is ticking .
While the FIA is very supportive of the idea of Andretti joining the F1 grid in conjunction with General Motors, F1 management is less convinced and rejected their bid, although efforts to bring about a change of heart continue. ing.
Andretti promises ‘Mercedes and Ferrari’ level F1 commitment
Andretti’s competitiveness was cited as a concern by FOM, but the series also wants Andretti to become a full-fledged GM factory team, with the American auto giant announcing its intention to become an F1 power unit manufacturer in 2028. was.
And Michael Andretti confirmed that GM is still investing heavily in the Andretti F1 project, and that people still don’t understand the magnitude of this effort, which puts it on the same level as F1 giants Mercedes and Ferrari. He emphasized that he had not.
Asked by Speed City Broadcast if GM is still fully committed to and excited about this F1 project with Andretti, Michael replied: Very enthusiastic and very excited.
“People won’t understand until we show them the effort put in by both sides.
“This is going to compete with Ferrari and Mercedes. You know, it’s an effort that great companies like GM are working on.”
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However, Michael admitted that “our goal is to be in F1 in 2026”, and time is certainly of the essence for Andretti to get the green light from FOM.
And on that front, Michael said they are trying to establish “more communication” with FOM because they need quick answers.
“We’re communicating more and looking at what we need to do to get in,” he said.
“We’re going to need some answers soon. But there are some things we’re working on and hopefully we’ll get some answers soon.”
And what Andretti is doing to support its F1 efforts is certainly no small thing, recently announcing a brand new base in Silverstone, accommodating around 120 staff and taking that number closer to 400. The goal is to increase.
When I asked Michael if this was quite a risk given that F1 has now said no to their bid, he replied:
“But I think this shows how much we believe in this, we believe it’s great for F1, and we think it’s great for the American fans as well. I think it’s a huge thing to have a company like General Motors enter F1.”
“We just believe in it, so we’re going to roll the dice.”
Congress is also involved in Andretti’s F1 push at this point, with the chairman of the US House Judiciary Committee asking for a response by May 21 at the latest, as Andretti seeks to become F1’s 11th team. ing.
Michael said his father, 1978 world champion Mario Andretti, had met with members of Congress ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, and although he appreciates their support, he is not very involved in this. He said no.
Michael said he was “100% surprised” about Congress’ intervention.
“I don’t get involved in that. I’m here to build the team and that’s what I’m doing.
“But certainly, it’s great that people like them can see what’s going on and be able to stop this.”
It was the first time since 2016 that the F1 grid consisted of 11 teams, and it has remained at that number of 10 teams ever since.
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