Over the last year, Andretti has been at the center of attention for its attempt to expand also in the world of Formula 1. A plan that also fits into the program that has seen the American team open a new European hub in Silverstone, which will also host the Formula E team.
However, Andretti does not only want to aim for the top category, but also at the realization of a project that should follow the growth of American drivers in the preparatory series, including Formula 2 and Formula 3. If the team gets the green light for F1 , the F3 and F2 programs will come to life in the same location, as confirmed by Andretti at the inauguration of the new facility.
“Our goal is to have a Formula 2 and Formula 3 team to support the F1 team, and then maybe also a WEC team. We want this to be our center for European racing. So there are a lot of interesting plans in this area”, explained Michael Andretti about a month ago during the presentation of the Silverstone headquarters.
However, it is clear that the F2 and F3 program, also designed to support US drivers in their journey, should only come into being if the team receives approval for Formula 1, which does not appear to be on the horizon any time soon. It is no coincidence, in fact, that Andretti has not yet moved for a possible entry, as confirmed by the organizers of F2 and F3, which are separate from those of F1, but it is interesting to mention how, also in this case, there is a selection process to be respected.
Michael Andretti
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
There is a selection process to respect
“I read some things about Andretti that said they wanted to enter F2 and F3, but we haven’t made contact yet. It will probably happen,” explained Bruno Michel during an interview session, waiting for the two championships to resume in the next few weeks .
“The second thing is that I understood that Andretti was also evaluating possible programs for Formula 1. Which, at the moment, has not yet been decided. Now, if Andretti wants to enter F2 and F3, he must follow the same everyone else’s process, because that’s how it works.”
“We have a selection process every three years in both categories. The one for F2 happened last year, at the end of 2023, so the next one will be in three years. For F3, the selection process will happen this year So if they want to join, they obviously have to go through the selection process.”
As for Formula 2, it would be difficult to think of any entry anytime soon, given that the selection process for new teams took place at the end of last year, when Andretti was still awaiting a response from Liberty Media regarding participation in F1. In fact, therefore, if he wanted to move forward, the only solution would be to acquire an already existing team, as Rodin did with Carlin, or start a partnership, always with some team currently present on the grid.
Zane Maloney, Rodin Motorsport
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The issue would be much simpler if Andretti decided to start from the simplest categories, even on an economic level, such as Formula 3, given that the tender will start this year.
When asked if Andretti might be able to speed up the selection process due to its size and international standing, Michel explained: “I think it’s a question of fairness towards the other teams.”
“Most of the teams have been part of Formula 2 for many years. In the last two seasons there have been some changes for some teams, because F2 and F3 are becoming a very interesting business for team owners too.”
“But I have to be fair to the existing teams. Of course, Andretti is a good name and has an interesting program. There is no American team in F2, so it’s a great opportunity. But yes, it will have to go through the same process of everyone else, because otherwise it would be completely unfair to the existing teams.”
Nikola Tsolov, ART Grand Prix leads Charlie Wurz, Jenzer Motorsport, and Martinius Stenshorne, Hitech Pulse-Eight
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The problem of the grid being too wide
However, this discussion clashes with another need of Formula 2 and Formula 3, namely to contain the number of participants. F3 is made up of 10 teams, each of which manages three cars, for a total of thirty single-seaters. Michel stated that it would be difficult to find the adequate number of drivers for the teams if the grid were to expand: furthermore, beyond the driver issue, given that there are also other championships of great interest such as Formula Regional, there would also be the problem of managing so many cars on the track.
The situation would be simpler for Formula 2, which currently consists of 11 teams, each of which manages two cars. In reality, some time ago, it even reached 26 single-seaters in total, but this number now seems out of reach according to the organizers. Even in this case, there would be the driver issue, because clearly the teams that do not have large financial resources would have to find a way to support themselves financially.
Furthermore, there is also a consideration regarding the future of the pilots. There tend to be few empty seats in Formula 1 and, in recent years, few Formula 2 talents have found a way to rise to the top category. For this reason, the organizers of the cadet series do not even want to exaggerate with the number of participants on the grid, so that a sort of funnel is formed with many drivers stuck in Formula 2 waiting for an opportunity that is very difficult to achieve.
The start of the Sprint race
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
In effect, therefore, a place on the F2 or F3 grid is far from guaranteed, with Michel declaring that expanding the F3 grid beyond 30 cars is “completely out of the question”. While admitting the possibility of adding more cars in Formula 2, the category manager added: “At the moment I am not inclined to increase the number of teams.”
The solution, barring any opportunities in the future, would be to tie up with an existing team: “All this means that, to return to Andretti, they can try to make a deal with an existing team or they can apply. If they apply, there’s always the possibility that a team won’t continue or that a team hasn’t done an adequate job, and in that case, there’s a chance to get in.”
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