FIA respond to claims that Mario Andretti’s son has applied to enter new F1 team
Max Verstappen 'recharged' ahead of new F1 season
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The FIA have responded to claims made by former world champion Mario Andretti that his son has applied to enter a new team into Formula One. Andretti, 81, is one of the most successful motorsport drivers ever, having won races in F1, IndyCar, the World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR.
In 1978, he won the F1 world title with Lotus and also raced for the likes of Williams and Ferrari.
Despite no longer being directly involved in F1, he has remained a voice in the sport and recently spoke out in support of FIA race director Michael Masi, who has now been sacked from his position following his actions in the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
His son Michael, 59, raced 13 times for McLaren in 1993 and currently helps run Walkinshaw Andretti United which competes in the Australian Supercars Championship.
He has also overseen Andretti Autosport winning four IndyCar titles.
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On Friday, Andretti senior caused a stir when he announced that Michael had applied to enter a new team in F1 for two years time.
“Michael has applied to the FIA to field a new F1 team starting in 2024,” he announced on Friday.
“His entry, Andretti Global, has the resources and checks every box. He is awaiting the FIA’s determination.”
According to a report in gpfans, the FIA have now responded, but have given little away in their released statement.
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They said: “The FIA is not currently in a position to consider or comment on any expressions of interest or applications received from potential new entrant teams in respect to the FIA Formula One world championship.”
In November, Andretti junior appeared on the verge of striking a deal to take over at Alfa Romeo but later had to refute suggestions that financial issues had scuppered things.
“I’d just like to put an end to some of these rumours that the deal fell through because of financial reasons. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It had nothing to do with that,” he argued.
“It basically came down to control issues in the final hours of the negotiations. That’s what killed the deal.
“I’ve always said if the deal is not right, we’re not going to do it, and in the end it wasn’t right. So we continue to look for other opportunities.”
The prospect of an 11th team coming into F1 will be met with trepidation in some quarters, with the potential to lower the purse of all involved.
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