“Time is always of the essence in F1” says Andretti

Andretti’s Formula 1 plans are full steam ahead, even though they haven’t technically joined the sport yet.

Andretti has openly been making plans to join Formula 1 since 2021, but they have encountered a fair amount of opposition. Now, partnered with General Motors and Cadillac, their bid is closer to being accepted than ever before.

But even though Andretti hasn’t officially been accepted into Formula 1, they’ve continued making preparations for the team in hopes of being prepared to make their debut in 2025 or 2026.

“Time is always of the essence in F1,” said Michael Andretti in a recent interview with The Athletic. “We’ve been working as fast as we possibly can to ensure we have as competitive a car and as strong a team as possible when we do take our place on the grid.”

Andretti’s confidence

There’s always the chance that F1 will reject Andretti’s bid, but the team is confident that it will go through. Between the Andretti name and the excitement surrounding the project, they haven’t had trouble bringing big names on board.

“I was pleasantly surprised, in a way, how easy it was to draw people to the project,” Andretti’s F1 technical director Nick Chester told The Athletic. “There’s a real draw of a new team, the Andretti name. A blank sheet tends to have a very proactive culture.

“We’ve had people joining from Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren. They all wanted a new challenge. It’s that real potential to shape departments, which is very attractive.”

As far as why they haven’t waited to start production of their car before the bid is approved, it really isn’t worth the delay on the off chance they won’t make it in.

“It takes time to build competitive race cars,” Andretti explained. “I’m very happy that we have made so much progress already on long-lead activities such as aerodynamic design and simulation. We don’t underestimate the task.”

“As Mohammed (Ben Sulayem) has said a number of times, the benefits we will bring to the sport and the championship are so obvious,” said Andretti.

“I can’t imagine anyone would want to try to stop us, and deprive racing fans of the opportunity to see a genuine American works team going head-to-head with the legendary names currently competing in F1.”

Will we see Andretti on the grid in the next couple of seasons? And perhaps the more interesting question: will they be competitive?

Feature Image Credit: Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto – Getty Images