Michael Andretti has said his organization has tried to purchase an existing Formula 1 team but concluded “nobody’s selling” after speaking with all of them.
Andretti’s comments came after Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said at last week’s British Grand Prix that prospective new entrants should “buy a team” rather than entering as a new, 11th team on the grid. But Andretti, who is attempting to enter F1 in partnership with General Motors and its Cadillac brand, says that option is off the table because nobody is interested in selling.
“We’ve tried — nobody’s interested, nobody’s selling,” Andretti (pictured above) told media, including RACER, at last weekend’s Extreme E Island X Prix in Sardinia. “I mean, we’ve been to every single team. They keep saying, ‘Well, buy a team’ (but) nobody wants to sell.
“You go there and they’re not even interested in talking. So yeah, I’ve been there, done that — not happening.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1388]
Andretti previously attempted to buy the Sauber team in 2021 only for the deal to collapse at the 11th hour. The Swiss-based team will instead come under Audi control ahead of the German brand’s entry in 2026.
Andretti played down suggestions that F1’s established teams were disrespecting the Andretti name, saying “I don’t really pay attention to that,” and admitted that he does understand why they are playing hardball with Andretti and other potential new entrants.
“Everybody has their own reasons why they’re doing things. They’re trying to protect their own interests, which you can’t blame them,” Andretti said. “You know, I said things before, I probably used the wrong word — I shouldn’t have said ‘greed’ but everybody’s been looking out for themselves.
“When I said that, I got criticized because I said ‘greed’, but if I was in their situation, I’d probably do the same thing. So I don’t blame the teams. They all are going to look at it for themselves, because that’s what they need to do to be competitive.
“So they’ve got to make sure that they protect that and I understand that’s what they’re trying to do. But in the end, they’re not going to be the ones that make the decision. It’s going to be up to the series and the FIA to decide if it’s the right individual.”
Andretti expects a decision from the FIA “probably closer to the end of the month,” and is confident of his team’s chances, adding, “we’re hoping for a positive decision.”
“I feel good. I mean, I we checked every box,” he said. “I feel good, but you know, feeling good and reality are always two different things.
“We just have to wait and see what happens. I think we have everything we need to go in and be competitive and be respectful and add to the series. That’s what we feel.”