Formula 1 may have rejected Andretti from entering the championship, but the American giants are not letting go of their dream. Taking another step in proving their worth to Formula One Management (FOM), Michael Andretti has inaugurated their Silverstone facility. With that, he also revealed the deadline for building their engine. Speaking with Sky Sports during the inauguration of their Silverstone facility, Andretti said,
“They’re (GM) currently building an engine. They’re already registered to do it. So, we will have an engine in ’28. But obviously, we need to build to get there. [We can’t] just all of a sudden show up in ’28 with no engine and no team. We need two years to build there, to get there, [and] when we do get our own engine, we’re ready to go and be competitive. So, we’re not naive in any way.”
One of the major points highlighted by the FOM while rejecting Andretti’s F1 bid was their inability to manufacture their engines. The motor racing giants got General Motors (GM) for precisely that on board.
F1 engines, which as per AS can cost as much as $16.25 million, are a complex and arguably the most important part of a car. While GM marches ahead on its part of the deal, Andretti Global is not resting easy.
In December 2022, they broke ground for a state-of-the-art facility in Indianapolis that Mario Andretti claimed was bigger than Ferrari’s Maranello factory. Now, they have inaugurated a unit in Silverstone, UK, that is housing 120 workers already.
Andretti reveals mega plans for F1 expansion
Andretti will divide the work for their F1 operations over two facilities. The UK facility, which currently has 120 employees, aims to take that number to 400.
This staff will majorly work on the design and aerodynamics of the car. The Indianapolis facility, on the other hand, will have 700 employees who will work on manufacturing the F1 cars. With a project of this size, Michael Andretti has made a big statement.
The statement is for the incumbent F1 teams who resist their entry to the championship in the name of reduction of their share in the prize money. Michael, however, put their doubts to rest by claiming that Andretti would make the prize pool bigger, thereby increasing the teams’ existing share.
The ball is certainly now in FOM’s court now. They invited fans’ fury by rejecting the American team’s bid to enter the championship. Will they do it again for the 2028 season? They most likely will have to come up with a solid reason if they do reject Andretti again.
