20 December 2023 , 17:00
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Renault are happy to resume talks over an engine deal with Michael Andretti in a boost to the American's bid to join the Formula 1 grid.
The American has already poured significant time and money into his efforts to create what would be the 11th current F1 team. But there is still no guarantee that all that resource and effort will lead to success on that front.
The FIA has already given its seal of approval to the bid, jointly submitted by Andretti's renowned racing team and carmaker General Motors through its Cadillac brand. But F1 itself still need to give the green light and the current teams have been hesitant to allow another competitor to join the grid, to say the least.
Should they get the thumbs up, the Americans will need an engine deal. General Motors says it plans to develop its power units in the future, but that won't happen until at least 2027 or 2028, so an external supplier will be necessary in the interim.
A pre-contract deal was struck with Renault a long time ago. However, that agreement timed out in the summer as the FIA process took longer than expected and, of course, the matter of Andretti's entry into F1 is still not fully resolved.
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Andretti had hoped to start racing in 2025, one year before new engine regulations come into effect. But that timeline will depend on how quickly F1 chiefs make their decision as to whether or not they will be allowed to join the sport, while Renault, which currently only supplies its Alpine-branded team, will also need a heads-up so it can increase production in time.
Interim Alpine team principal Bruno Famin said his outfit will be happy to resume negotiations with Andretti in the event the new team is given approval to join the grid. "We are talking to Andretti and to General Motors and we are happy to talk to them," he said.
"If they have an entry, we are happy to resume the talks. For the time being it's a bit on standby, and not due to us, it's because the length of the process is much, much, much longer than expected. The FIA took much more time to answer than they said at the beginning, now the ball is on the F1 side.
"If they have an entry, we are happy to discuss [a deal] with Andretti. What I said last time is that we had a pre-contract, the pre-contract has expired, then factually right now we don't have any commitment or any legal commitment with them. But we're happy to talk to them and to see what we can do together.
"If they have an entry it's because they will have demonstrated that they will bring a lot of added value to F1, and that the value of the championship and the teams will not be diluted due to that."