The Andretti family is hoping to receive official confirmation of their entry into Formula 1 as a “nice Christmas present.”
Reputed for a long time, the Andretti bid showed some signs of life in February when Mario affirmed his child Michael had presented an authority proposition to FIA.
However, ten months after the initial announcement, little progress has been made, so they may have accepted that their entry into the sport would be easier.
The current teams’ refusal to share a slice of the pie and add an 11th constructor without a belief that they would be able to recoup their losses with an increase in the revenue brought into the sport has been the main sticking point.
Michael Andretti has now revealed that a final decision may soon be close, despite the fact that he appeared to have made little headway in persuading the skeptics of the family’s bid at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix in May.
Andretti stated that they were hoping for a “nice Christmas present” in the coming weeks in an interview with The Indianapolis Star, which is based in the same city as Andretti’s motorsport endeavors.
The 60-year-old stated, “We’re hoping in the next couple of weeks.” That would make an excellent present for Christmas.
There were also rumors that Red Bull might be willing to sell after founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death, so Andretti said he wouldn’t buy the AlphaTauri team” However, we continue our daily efforts to obtain clearance for an expansion team. I still have faith. We are on our way. Although we haven’t received the “OK,” we are getting very close.
A timeline of Andretti’s Formula One venture. October 2021: The Andretti Group tries to buy Sauber, but the deal falls through because there were disagreements about who would control the team.
Mario Andretti tweets in February 2022 that his son Michael has proposed to the FIA. Mario stated, “Michael has applied to the FIA to start a new F1 team in 2024.” Andretti Global, his entry, possesses the resources and meets all requirements. He is awaiting a decision from the FIA.”
April 2022: Despite the FIA’s continued silence for two months, Michael Andretti maintains that he will continue racing.
As Michael Andretti is depicted addressing high-ranking F1 executives at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, critics begin to voice their opposition to Andretti’s proposed arrival in May 2022.
June 2022: The primary opponent to the entry, Toto Wolff, asserts that he has yet to comprehend the significance of including an eleventh team. In the meantime, fellow American Zak Brown states that the “resistance” to the bid has disappointed him.
In August 2022, Andretti announces the construction of a new $200 million (£170 million) facility that will host “future racing initiatives” in 2025.
In spite of objections from top Formula 1 figures, Mario Andretti tells PlanetF1.com in September 2022 that the Andretti Global F1 endeavor is still “full speed ahead.” In the meantime, Stefano Domenicali, president of Formula One, asserts that the sport does not require an eleventh team.
December 2022: Before stating that they were hoping for a “nice Christmas present” in the form of an entry confirmation, Michael Andretti claims that they have made fairly good progress on their work.
On the straight run up to Turn 9, when the left wheels touch the curb, the deep rumbling sound and the vibrations in the cockpit overwhelm your senses.
However, there isn’t much time to consider that or even appreciate how cool it feels and sounds.
Eyes are already on the right-hander’s turn-in point, and they’re trying to hit the apex exactly, which is somewhere near the top of the hill.
Your brain is using too many milliseconds to determine how close you were to the apex when you turned in. You are no longer where you thought you were.
Turn 9 has long since passed. You’ve been thrown out the other side of the corner, and now you’re scurrying over the kerb of the exit with that buzzing sound and vibration pounding through you once more.
You pick everything up once more while tightly gripping the steering wheel, ease off the curb, and begin to consider the next turn. Then, repeatedly rinse and repeat.
Even though the vehicle I’m driving is not a real Formula One car, the feelings, intensity, and sensations are very real.