New obstacles
The arrival in Formula 1 of team Andretti it seemed closer after the green light arrived from the FIA at the end of the selection process for the possible entry into the Circus of an 11th team. However, those who expected an all-downhill road for the American team risked being proven wrong. It came first firm opposition from the teams already present in the championship, certainly not an encouraging sign in view of what the FOM will have to decide, the last formal step to actually enter F1; now, as we anticipated here at the end of September, even Andretti’s most important ally is starting to slip away.
The reference is to Renault, which had decided to support Andretti upon his entry into F1 with the supply of power units. The Americans’ plan was to enter the Circus as early as 2025, a year before the change in the technical regulations but above all before the entry into force of the new Concordat Pact. At the moment the entry ‘tax’ to be paid for a new team is 200 million dollars. The team’s goal would be to bring it to 600 million. 400 million good reasons to hurry, however, may now no longer be enough for the American team, which also enjoys the support of General Motors.
Renault’s new priorities
LThe preliminary agreement with Renault has in fact expired in March 2023 and now the Losanga house seems far from inclined to renew it. There are many reasons on the table: the crisis in results of the Alpine team advises the management of the team to concentrate on the official team before starting to look around in search of potential customers. Furthermore the clash that is looming over the Andretti case between the FIA and F1 scares Alpine. The fear, as reported by the German site Auto Motor und Sportis to remain dangerously halfway across the ford, misaligned with the position of all the other teams.
“It is true that this preliminary contract with Andretti has expired – confirmed Alpine sporting director Bruno Famin – it was drawn up with the assumption that Andretti would get the license sooner. We will only resume discussions if the review process is successful. We have nothing in principle against an eleventh team if it turns out to increase the value of the sport. But it’s not our job to judge that. We follow the regulations, regardless of whether they are the sporting regulations or the Concordat. Customer team? Now the priorities have changedAnd – concluded the French manager – our first priority is to develop the best possible engine for 2026”. And Cadillac? The Americans have put their name to it, but in practice they will not be able to put their own power unit into operation before the 2027 season. And this is in the best case scenario. Certainly not the best news for Andretti.
#RenaultAndretti #agreement #expired #priorities