Michael Andretti names driver 'at the top of our list' for new F1 team
Michael Andretti has revealed IndyCar star Colton Herta is in pole position for a seat at his team if given approval to join Formula 1.
The American's bid was the only one given approval by the FIA which spent several months analysing a handful of applications to create new F1 teams. The governing body rejected most but president Mohammed ben Sulayem felt he could not turn down the Andretti bid, which was submitted in conjunction with carmaker General Motors.
But there remains some doubt over whether an 11th team will actually be able to join the grid. Formula One Management (FOM) still has the final say over who can compete in the world championship and there remains significant resistance to a new entrant from the 10 existing teams.
But Andretti, speaking to Sky Sports at the United States Grand Prix, remains confident of being given the green light. "We're very, very excited. Thank you to the president of the FIA for putting the Expressions of Interest [process] out there. It was very rigorous, a very tough thing to go through for our team," he said.
"I'm proud to say we came out on top in every category and we're very proud of that. It shows that we have the right to be here on the grid. We're also really excited about the fan support – it's been overwhelming and I want to thank everyone out there, it means a lot. We're very excited about the future and we think we have something to offer to Formula 1 fans.
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"We don't give up – I never give up. [F1] is the top of racing and this has been our whole life. We want to go out there and prove that we can race with the best in the world. That's why we're here. We're still shooting [to enter in] '25. Our car is going to be in the wind tunnel next week, we have a car already built up in '23 spec. At the moment it's '25, it could be '26, we'll see."
The American, himself a former F1 racer was reluctant to give much away when quizzed on who might drive for his team, initially responding: "Stay tuned." But when pressed on the matter he did reveal that IndyCar racer Colton Herta, who was turned down for an AlphaTauri seat for this year because he does not have enough superlicence points, is a prime candidate.
Andretti said: "We've talked a lot about Colton and he's definitely at the top of our list, but he has the points problem so we'll have to see how he does in the IndyCar championship to hopefully get enough points to get a superlicence. We've talked to a few others as well who do qualify. The goal is to have at least one American in the car and then an experienced driver in the other to help mentor them."
And even though the pre-contract agreement he had with engine supplier Alpine has expired, Andretti seemed confident that a deal can be struck with the French outfit. He added: "Technically, the agreement went out but, once we get our approval, that will be fixed. We're not worried about that."
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