"We’ll beat everybody" - Michael Andretti asks FIA to let in 11th F1 team on the grid

Former F1 driver Michael Andretti wants the FIA to allow open bids for the opportunity to become the 11th team on the grid, admitting his team "will beat everybody" to it.

Earlier, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali had claimed the sport was solid with an existing roster of 10 teams. He said:

“I have to be very honest, today F1 with 10 teams, with the competition on the track, is very, very solid. There’s complexities that need to be considered if other teams can be added, therefore I don’t think it’s the most important element to grow F1, to be honest.”

Andretti, who raced in the sport 13 times in 1993, confirmed he had spoken to Liberty Media Group CEO Greg Maffei about the chance to join the grid. In an interview with AP, the American said:

“I talked to Greg [Maffei] and I asked him, ‘Just let it go to a bid, we’ll beat everybody.’ Not that they give it to us. Let us have a shot and we will beat anybody else that’s out there. We have great backers. Money is not the issue.”

F1's popularity has grown exponentially since Liberty Media Group's takeover of the sport. With their heavy presence on social media and the Netflix docu-drama series 'Drive To Survive', the sport has managed to reel in scores of new fans in the USA.

The 2022 calendar has two races in the country with a third to be added next year. There is, however, still only one American team in Haas on the grid and no American drivers. Andretti and Co. are very keen to change that.

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"We have a formal agreement now" - Andretti Autosports confirms deal in place with Renault for F1 Power Units

Earlier this year, Michael Andretti's father, Mario Andretti, confirmed that his son's possible team has a deal in principle with French manufacturer Renault for Power Units when it joins the sport.

In an interview with David Land, the 1978 F1 world champion said:

“We have formal agreement now on the engine supplier and it’s out there, it’s going to be Renault and I’m allowed to say it now. There was a lot of speculation from Toto Wolff, he was concerned about potentially it being Ferrari, Ferrari would have more votes than he would have, so on and so forth. There’s a lot of steps to take here and I understand that, it’s a huge undertaking. But we’re ready for it. We have incredible partners on our side, Michael does, and we’re there for the duration.”

Andretti Autosports is reportedly seeking entry to the sport for the 2024 season. Should it get the clearance, it could jump the likes of Audi and Porsche, who are set to join the grid in 2026.