zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Andretti Autosport Isn't Buying Into F1 Any Time Soon
Andretti Autosport Isn't Buying Into F1 Any Time Soon-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:54

Image for article titled Andretti Autosport Isn't Buying Into F1 Any Time Soon

Wipe your tears, race fans, because the . It turns out that all that hype was just that: Hype.

If you’ve missed out on the latest drama, Michael Andretti —son of the legendary Mario Andretti and owner of the Andretti Autosport racing team — has been looking at buying a controlling stake in the company that owns Sauber, which in turn owns the Alfa Romeo F1 team. A few vague rumors about a meeting happening between Andretti and the concerned parties took off, and fans desperate for a little American representation began speculating that could end up in F1 as a result of the deal.

Turns out, it’s not happening, reports based on conversations with multiple sources.

Nothing nefarious appears to have gotten in the way of the deal. Instead, Andretti and Sauber were set to have talks during the United States Grand Prix weekend, and those talks were postponed. There was a vague hope that talks would continue in Mexico City during next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, but RACER says various sources disagree. Instead, the $404 million deal is entirely off the table.

Part of the issue seems to come in the form of Colton Herta, who was consistently pegged to become an Alfa Romeo driver as part of the deal. Herta was reportedly supposed to take part in Free Practice 1 during the US Grand Prix, but his Super License situation was pretty murky.

To compete in any F1 session, you need to have achieved a certain number of points by competing in a certain number of FIA-verified motorsport disciplines. Even with a COVID-mandated addendum that would have included Herta’s second-place finish in the 2018 Indy Light Championship, he wouldn’t have had enough points because the FIA only awards points if the season is contested by a certain number of drivers. The 2018 Indy Lights field was and didn’t make that requirement.

So, Herta couldn’t drive an F1 car in FP1, and it seems like that was an integral part of the deal.

As it stands, the Andretti/Sauber deal doesn’t look like it will make a comeback, so it’s probably time to wave goodbye to the prospect of two American-based F1 teams hitting the 2022 grid.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Listen To The Ungodly Howl Of A Built LS Swap
Listen To The Ungodly Howl Of A Built LS Swap
AV8 is the ubiquitous choice for an engine swap nowadays. The obvious choice. The boring choice. Still, one can dress one of these things up to absolutely scream. Formula Drift’s Geoff Stoneback put this video up a while back, comparing the Nissan V8 in his 370Z to the LS he...
May 18, 2026
Good News: Mercedes' Formula One Car At Least Has A Pretty Nose
Good News: Mercedes' Formula One Car At Least Has A Pretty Nose
Formula One cars have had several nose jobs over the years—some more than others. Others have kept it restrained to a subtle thumb at the end of the nosecone. But Mercedes? Mercedes’ teaser shots for tomorrow’s big 2017 Mercedes W08 F1 car unveiling show a refreshingly restrained schnoz. I’ll be...
May 18, 2026
The Daytona 500 Hasn't Happened Yet But NASCAR Already Has Points Leaders
The Daytona 500 Hasn't Happened Yet But NASCAR Already Has Points Leaders
The Daytona 500 isn’t until Sunday, but Denny Hamlin and already lead the points standings in the the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. That may sound odd, because this is the that drivers have received points in qualifying races prior to the show on Sunday. Elliott ran and won the...
May 18, 2026
McLaren Finally Gives Us The Ridiculously Orange F1 Car Of Our Hopes And Whines
McLaren Finally Gives Us The Ridiculously Orange F1 Car Of Our Hopes And Whines
Have you been kvetching over the lack of orange on a McLaren Formula One car for the past few years? Talking endlessly about how McLaren needs to have more than just a thin orange stripe? Speaking at length not about McLaren’s lack of performance, but about how you wish they...
May 18, 2026
The 2017 Mercedes F1 Car Is The Gorgeous Racer With The Dumb Name We've All Been Waiting For
The 2017 Mercedes F1 Car Is The Gorgeous Racer With The Dumb Name We've All Been Waiting For
The Mercedes Formula One team has won an incredible 51 out of the past 59 races since 2014 by nailing the switch to turbocharged V6 hybrid engines and forcing everyone else to play catch-up. But did they also nail the 2017 F1 spec? Here’s the new F1 car of 2017,...
May 18, 2026
Mercedes May Have Already Found A Loophole In F1's New Regs
Mercedes May Have Already Found A Loophole In F1's New Regs
The 2017 Formula One season has not even started yet and already it looks like top team has found a loophole in the new regulations for the year. The best tech commentator in F1, , pointed out this odd little whale tail wing thing on the back of the new...
May 18, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved