NASCAR Legend Mario Andretti’s Son Set for a Major Foray Into F1

Recently, reports emerged that former racing driver Michael Andretti was interested in fielding a Formula One team. In the motor racing arena, he primarily competed in IndyCar and had one season in Formula One. However, his father, Mario Andretti is quite a big name in F1; he won the 1978 F1 world championship. Other than that, he also has an Indy 500 and Daytona 500 win under his belt.

In 2003, Michael purchased a majority stake in Forsythe Green Racing, originally founded in 1993, and renamed it Andretti Autosport. The team now operates in different racing series, including IndyCar, Formula E, American Le Mans, and more. Back in 2013, there were talks of fielding a NASCAR team, but a deal never took off. According to him, “We’ve got a couple of (sponsorship) deals working, but it’s getting late. It’s not dead yet, but it’s highly unlikely.”

While the NASCAR deal never turned into anything, it looks like the Andretti name is set to return to its glory land; Michael’s latest project is to dip a toe in the Formula One arena. As per some reports, he is in talks to undertake a buyout of the Sauber Motorsport AG company. This in turn would mean that they are taking over the Alfa Romeo F1 team.

Will the Michael Andretti-led deal go through?

Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur said, “I can say nothing because honestly, it’s not in my parameter. I’m the CEO and team principal and these kind of discussions are not with me, it would be with the shareholders. We have so many rumours and so on that, you have to ask the question to the shareholders of the company.”

To be perfectly honest though, it will be interesting to see the team make its F1 debut. In addition to that, it could also spell the start of a potential rivalry between themselves and Haas F1 for top US honors. With regard to potential drivers, if the deal does go through, there are a number of American drivers who will be keen to earn a seat in F1.

READ MORE: What Would Andretti’s Takeover of Sauber Motorsports Mean for F1 & Alfa Romeo?