Mario Andretti, the father of Michael Andretti, confirms that his son is determined to get his entry into F1 after Sauber snubs ownership deal.
Andretti Autosport failed to land an ownership deal with Sauber that could have been pivotal in Michael Andretti’s team entry to F1. Andretti was an inch away from grabbing that deal, and it looked like the sport will get another American team on the grid.
However, in the end, the negotiations failed between the two parties. Thus, denying the motorsport giant from getting his dream landed. Now, Mario Andretti, the father of Michael, claims that his son hasn’t given up on the plan of entering F1.
Michael Andretti confirms that Andretti planned to parachute Colton Herta into #F1 as the teammate to Valtteri Bottas, whilst clarifying “control” as what put an end to the Sauber deal.
“It basically came down to control issues… That’s what killed the deal.” pic.twitter.com/x9BSko040q
— The Formula (@TheFormulaF1) November 4, 2021
“All I can say about that is Michael is not giving that up,” Mario Andretti told RacingNews365.com in an exclusive interview. “He has his eyesight on entering the Formula 1 world and he has some good people behind him. Stay tuned! It’s not over yet.”
When further pressed on the matter of whether Michael Andretti is looking for another opportunity, the senior Andretti replied: it’s not over.”
Also read: Andretti picks F1 drivers which are set to shine in 2022
Mario Andretti feels F1 is getting exciting
With 2022 regulations kicking off in the upcoming season, followed by new engine regulations in three more years. Andretti senior is excited about the future.
“There’s so much to look forward to, to see just how the new technical rules are going to play out,” added the 12-time Grand Prix winner. “We’ll see whether the field is going to be more level; because of these new rules, everyone is starting pretty much from scratch.”
He further anticipates that McLaren and Ferrari will be even more exciting now. Both teams had a tough fight for P3 in the constructors’ standings last year.
“I think the eyeballs are on Ferrari and McLaren at the moment. I would suspect that’s who everyone would expect to challenge Red Bull and Mercedes.”
“Everything is out there. That’s what creates the anxiety and the anticipation about the coming season. [With] new rules, I think that’s always a bit of a shake-up, which is good. You’re looking forward to unpredictability.”
Also read: Andretti reveals how close they got to taking over Sauber
