Michael Andretti has praised McLaren and Alpine for being supportive of his efforts to join the Formula 1 grid, while hitting out at the “greed” of other teams.
Andretti is seeking to join the grid in the coming years as a new manufacturer and recently announced an alliance with General Motors.
Cadillac would enter the sport with the US team, a partnership that Andretti says leaves the credibility of his bid “hard for anyone to argue with”.
READ MORE: Andretti’s F1 bid can no longer be ignored
Andretti has faced resistance from some F1 teams over concerns about how an 11th outfit would impact the revenue shares.
“It’s all about greed and looking at themselves and not looking at what is best for the overall growth of the series,” Andretti told Forbes.
“We have to make sure we get into NASCAR in a few years. We are very much looking at it and monitoring it. We are looking a couple of situations and hopefully in a couple of years, we will be there.”
However, Andretti highlighted that McLaren CEO Zak Brown and the Alpine team have backed his push.
It is believed that Renault, who supplies its Alpine team with engines, would also initially power Andretti’s F1 squad.
“Zak wants to do whatever he can to help us get there and so has Alpine as well,” Andretti said. “Zak Brown and Alpine are two very good allies. Zak has been very supportive.
“Zak has been a great friend and ally. He gives me advice and is there to help. We help each other. I’ve been helping him a lot when he came to IndyCar racing. It’s a friendship that works both ways.”
While F1 itself has not met Andretti with open arms, the FIA has, with president Mohammed Ben Sulayem admitting surprise over the series’ reluctance.
Andretti, however, is not shocked: “In Formula 1, the owners look out for themselves; not what is best for the series.
“That is the difference between President Mohammad’s position and the team owner’s position. President Mohammad is looking out for the future of the sport.
“Mohammad gets it. He’s a racer and he understands the series needs to have one or two more teams. It is an FIA championship, and it holds most of the cards to get the expression of interest going.”
Discussion about this post