Former F1 Driver Trying to Set Up His Own Team

The Andretti family is a part of F1 folklore. Mario Andretti and his son Michael, both raced in F1 years ago and the father has now revealed that Michael Andretti has wishes to field his own team a couple of years down the line.

“Michael has that ambition to be an owner in F1. It is one of his goals at the moment for sure. We talk about it and he’s serious. That is what he wants.”

“It’s part of Michael’s ongoing growth goals. He keeps all options open and F1 is not just talk. There are some tangibles but it’s still early days, it’s going to be a couple of years”, Mario Andretti told SportsMail.

He further revealed that his son was waiting to get a clearer picture of the 2021 rule changes that owners, Liberty Media, have proposed. “Michael’s waiting for the financial situation and distribution element to become clear.”

“It is being evaluated now but he’s thinking about it for sure. He is very ambitious. This has been our life. This is what we know and love. We are in the business and Michael’s been successful. He knows how to put people together”, the senior Andretti added.

The junior Andretti partnered McLaren last year at the Indy 500 race where Alonso had been leading before his car gave up. McLaren are reportedly in talks to start their own team in the series and Mario revealed that it could be done with Michael’s help.

“It’s McLaren’s choice but we know the relationship they had with Michael was positive. I think in good time they will make an official announcement. It makes a lot of sense for everyone involved”, he said.

Michael Andretti is certainly not inexperienced as a team owner. He owns the Andretti Autosport team, which competes in illustrious series like the IndyCar and Formula E.

An F1 team could add to his repertoire and the sport’s image can be expanded in the United States if they come onboard.