Michael Andretti continues to pursue a place in Formula 1 after a failed attempt to buy Sauber, describing the championship as “the ultimate racing experience.”
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The 59-year-old IndyCar champion and former F1 driver revealed he was “48 hours away” from finalising a deal earlier this year to acquire the team that fields the Alfa Romeo-branded car in the world championship. Andretti previously attempted to buy Force India when it entered administration in 2018; that team was later sold to Lawrence Stroll and now competes as Aston Martin.
Andretti operates teams in IndyCar, Formula E and Extreme E and told the Racer/Epartrade Online Race Industry Week that a move into Formula 1 remains appealing. “It’s the biggest racing series in the world and I think it could just do wonders for our brand,” he said.
“Internationally obviously, we are with Formula E and Extreme E. To do Formula 1 is the ultimate. I’ve always had interest in that.”
New entrants to the sport now face a $200 million anti-dilution fee, introduced this year, and chances to purchase an existing team are limited. Acknowledging those barriers, Andretti admitted opportunities to enter F1 are increasingly scarce.
“It was really, really disappointing that [the Sauber] deal didn’t come together,” he said. “We were literally 48 hours away from getting the deal done at that time as we thought.
“I still very much would like to do it, opportunities are becoming less and less, teams aren’t really for sale right now. We have to see what happens in the future.
“There’s still interest. I love F1, it’s the ultimate racing experience, and for our brand would be just huge, it just takes us to the highest level you can be in.”
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