If all had gone as planned, Colton Herta would be in Miami preparing for the fifth race of his Formula 1 career.
The 22-year-old Californian will instead be a spectator this weekend, during the first Miami Grand Prix. His boss is still waiting for a response to his request to add an American team – a real one – to the grid.
Michael Andretti failed in his bid to buy the Sauber team last fall, following a dispute over control of the organization. He, however, denied rumors that he did not have the funds to complete the purchase of the team.
“No, 1000% no, it’s wrong, he assured in an interview with theAssociated Press tuesday. Negotiations broke down because they suddenly changed the terms of the sale and wanted full control of the organization. They wanted veto power over every decision the company made. They turned everything upside down only two days before we ratified the agreement. So I don’t care what people say, we were never going to agree to a deal in which we owned but had no control over the team. »
In February, his father, Mario, the 1978 F1 world champion, revealed that his son had asked F1 to increase the number of cars allowed on the grid, and to accept the arrival of a team directed by Andretti.
Since then, nothing
The FIA, F1 and Liberty Media, the US company that owns motorsport’s premier series, have had very little public discussion of Andretti’s request.
On the other hand, several F1 teams have publicly stated that they are against adding cars to the grid, since the scholarships would then become less attractive. Plus, it looks like Andretti isn’t the only one who wants to start his own team.
Andretti said he didn’t have the personal funds to start his own team — it costs US$200 million to enter his team in the championship — but assured that groups supported him in his endeavor. Among them could be the Guggenheim group, to which the Los Angeles Dodgers belong, and Andretti clarified that his business partners are already involved in the world of professional sports.
Technically, Haas is an American team. It is owned by California businessman Gene Haas and has a facility in North Carolina. Its pilots, Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher, however, are Danish and German, respectively.
Also, until Russia invaded Ukraine, Haas cars were sponsored by a Russian company, were painted in the colors of the Russian flag, and Magnussen’s steering wheel belonged to Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. Haas has since severed its business ties with its Russian partners.