12 October 2023 , 17:55
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Michael Andretti's pre-agreement with Alpine over a Formula 1 engine deal has expired, the team has confirmed.
Andretti Global, the former F1 racer's motorsport outfit, wants to become the 11th team on the grid. And it has already received FIA approval to do so, having been the sole survivor of the governing body's process to weed out unsuitable applications.
But the American's entry is far from a done deal. F1 itself still needs to approve any new entrant and there remains significant resistance within the sport to a new team.
Andretti has few allies among the existing teams, but Alpine was expected to be one of them. That's because a pre-contract had been agreed between the two teams with a view to engine manufacturer Renault becoming power unit supplier to the 11th team.
But that deal is now no longer in play. Alpine's interim team principal Bruno Famin confirmed to Motorsport.com that there was a time limit on that arrangement which has since elapsed.
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He said: "We had a pre-contract with Andretti, which has expired because they were supposed to be granted an F1 entry before a given date. It means right now, if we want to do something with Andretti, we need to negotiate a full contract, a formal contract. So right now, we have absolutely no contract with Andretti."
As Famin suggested, there is still a chance that Andretti and Alpine will strike a new engine deal. And, given previous constructive dialogue between the two parties, Renault may have the upper hand over other engine suppliers that may be interested in attracting a new customer.
But the Frenchman was clear that negotiations will not resume until it becomes clear that F1 will allow Andretti to join the grid. "We need something, and we need a decision from F1 before resuming [talks]," he said.
Time is also a significant factor. F1 bosses have made it clear they will not be rushing to make a decision about adding a new team to the grid and it may be several months before anything is communicated. If it does indeed take such a lengthy amount of time, it will be difficult for Alpine to set up a customer project for Andretti's target entry date of 2025.
Famin added: "I'm not [only] talking about Andretti, but we start the supply of parts for the season a very long time before. Of course, depending on what will be the situation, there are some things we will be able to do, and some others we won't be able to."