SILVERSTONE, England — When Mario Andretti speaks, you listen.
No American motorsport figure has as much influence. The 84-year-old has watched and won everything there is to see and win in motorsport, Formula 1, Indy and sports cars.
As he addressed Andretti Global’s staff for its future F1 team as part of the opening of its new European base at Silverstone, Mario had the room hanging on every word.
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Mario talked about his first adventure in motorsport after arriving in the United States. How he and his double brother, Aldo, shared a car and helmet. The “charade” of his loss to Bobby Unser in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, and why he still wears the ring he bestowed before officials overturned Unser’s penalty, costing Andretti the victory. Mario spoke of his love for being multidisciplinary, winning in cars, championships and continents.
“I tried to experience as much as I could, almost everybody, and not just say I raced there — I went for a win,” Andretti said.
“There’s nothing like winning in the limited environment of others, where they have their own rules. “
It was an anecdote and a fitting sentiment on a day that was the last major milestone for Andretti Global in its efforts to succeed in F1, a sandbox that we are still determined to subscribe to even despite its rejection for 2025 or 2026. at the end of January.
That goal was made clear when Mario and his son, Michael, who leads F1 access efforts as chairman and CEO of Andretti Global, toured the Silverstone facility on Wednesday before addressing staff. They had the opportunity to meet other people who are applying to make the team’s access in collaboration with General Motors a reality.
“We already have a lot of smart ability,” Michael Andretti told The Athletic. “We’ve got a lot of skill on the sidelines, waiting to see what happens. So we feel very smart. “
“Once we get the green light, we’re going to have a strong team. “
Despite this confidence, until the “green light” arrives, a footprint will loom over Andretti’s preparations.
When F1 announced its rejection of Andretti, it accompanied the resolution with a detailed summary of the reasoning, casting doubt on the competitive merits of the deal and what “the Andretti name” would bring to the sport.
Andretti responded by saying he “strongly disagreed” with the findings and hoped to meet with F1 control to discuss his plans. An invitation to do so in December went unanswered after landing in a spam folder.
– Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) January 31, 2024
The FIA, which gave its approval last year, is happy that Andretti is in a position to enter on the grid. In theory, Andretti could compete in 2026 without FOM approval. However, in the absence of publicity and monetary deals enjoyed through the existing 10 teams, this situation is unrealistic.
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According to Michael Andretti, his organization is “holding meetings” with F1 to demonstrate its capabilities. “I don’t think they perceive the point of commitment that we have here, not only on our part but also on the part of General Motors,” he said. They didn’t see it. They didn’t ask us about it and now we’re going to make them aware of everything we do.
Milestones like the opening of the new plant are vital milestones for Andretti, which needs to prove it’s ready. Another will produce the first physical prototype, which is expected until the end of the year. However, regardless of the point of preparation for the deal, one of the main considerations of the ten existing groups is that the monetary effect the expansion could have on their own operations due to a dilution of silver prices.
Michael Andretti said part of the talks with F1 were aimed at showing that “we’re not dividing the pie, we’re just helping to make the pie bigger” for the sport as a whole, contributing to the recent boom in American interest in America’s good looks. Sponsors and components with headquarters. He presented Andretti as an all-American team, with an American-made car and engine, to capitalize on the preparation.
“The U. S. is still very fertile,” he said. I think with what we’re doing, we can open it up a lot more and make it more lucrative, not just for us, but for the whole series. “
The excitement among the Andretti F1 team was evident at the opening of the Silverstone facility. The workforce is more than 120 people, split between the UK and the General Motors base, with new arrivals every week. Many come with established F1 experience. Nick Chester, former technical director of Renault (now Alpine), joined last year as technical director, along with design figures such as Jon Tomlinson and John McQuilliam. Andretti’s command believes that this only increases the credibility and strength of his plans.
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“Most of the time, complaints like, ‘They don’t understand what’s needed,'” Andretti Global co-owner Dan Towriss told The Athletic. “We have many years of experience in Formula 1, we recruit very talented people. who have done special things in other teams.
“It’s kind of an all-star team that we’ve built with direct experience in Formula 1, and they can do it exactly the way they think it deserves to be done. It allows us to mark the beginning of the design and production process. of the Formula 1 of the future. “
The ability to start from scratch provides an agility that everyone at Andretti believes can be hugely beneficial. “You never get that opportunity,” Chester told The Athletic. “You don’t need to manage all the baggage on an existing piece of equipment. “
An exciting day for the opening of our new facility at Silverstone, which will be our headquarters in Indianápolis. pic. twitter. com/se8VM0ZGY6
– Andretti Global (@AndrettiGlobal) April 10, 2024
Chester recalls previous groups he worked in, where legacy systems required significant resources just to keep them up and running and up to date. “It’s not effective,” Chester said. Here we can ask, “How do we need this to happen?Let’s do it this way. ” We don’t have to deal with all that legacy, and that’s huge.
The new amenities have already made it possible to expand the design office, which was previously spread over several rooms on the smaller site at Silverstone. There, the artists continue to design a car for 2026, based on their understanding of what the regulations will look like. as, yet to be finalized.
Although there is uncertainty about what kind of engine would power the car if it could compete in 2026, given that General Motors probably wouldn’t have a powertrain available until 2028, Chester said there are a lot of things that could simply “There will come a time when I’ll be pretty desperate for data on the powertrain, because that would make things a lot easier, but we’re not there yet,” he said.
Chester highlighted the excitement within the design organization to be part of something new. “It was dazzling to travel for Mario and Michael,” he said. They see designers make their first chassis or fork homologation component and how they design the total design. in it. Everyone is incredibly excited to do it.
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If the team gets approval from F1, the new facility is expected to temporarily become too small, though it will remain a core component of Andretti’s racing operations serving as a European hub. It also plans to create groups in Formula 2 and Formula 3 to help F1 operations and bring in the next generation of drivers, also founded at Silverstone.
A lot of work is needed despite the lack of certainty about access to F1, let alone until 2026. But Towriss said it’s “what you have to do to be able to compete. “
“We’re proceeding to build an end point,” Towriss said. Our paintings continue at a steady pace, that’s our motto. We love it; That’s exactly what we do. “
While F1 itself and the 10 existing groups have made it clear why they don’t need to expand the grid, the reaction from enthusiasts has been very different. Many enthusiasts welcomed the prospect of two more cars on the grid, creating more competition. His sadness is very transparent following F1’s resolution in January.
“The response from enthusiasts has been extraordinary, incredible,” Andretti said. “We really appreciate it. People are pretty dissatisfied with what’s going on right now. And I think because of that, maybe we’ve gained some new enthusiasts that really inspire us to get involved. It means a lot to us.
“Enthusiasts need this to happen,” Towriss added. He’s smart for the sport. Innovation, festival: this will never have to be stifled in sport. Let’s not make it a club sport; Let’s make it the world championship and let the festival on.
Getting into this “club” remains a major challenge. Andretti believes that the most productive way to answer this question is to continue to prepare as if he were going to race in the coming years, demonstrating his technical ability and willingness to enter the grid. . Changing one’s mind about F1, especially its advertising merits, is the trickiest task.
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Until then, as the motto goes, the draw continues at a steady pace, with the certainty that it will allow Andretti to move up the F1 grid.
“I can guarantee you that it will all be worth it,” Michael Andretti said at the conclusion of his speech to the members. “We’re preparing something very special here. I can’t wait to see our race car on the track.
Feature photos courtesy of Andretti Global.