Photo: Alfa Romeo
A few weeks ago, word got out that Andretti Autosport was in talks to land a majority stake in the Sauber-owned Alfa Romeo F1 team and that an announcement was imminent. This would have made Andretti only the second U.S. team on the grid in Formula 1, possibly turning IndyCar driver Colton Herta into an F1 star.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, as Michael Andretti himself set the record straight during a recent announcement. According to Andretti, the deal to purchase Alfa Romeo F1 did not fall apart because of financial reasons (as some speculated), but rather was derailed by various parties changing the terms regarding control, reports Autosport.
“I’d just like to put an end to some of these rumors that the deal fell through because of financial reasons. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It had nothing to do with that,” he explained.
“It basically came down to control issues in the final hours of negotiations. That’s what killed the deal. I’ve always said if the deal is not right, we’re not going to do it, and in the end it wasn’t right. So, we continue to look for other opportunities.”
When asked to clarify if these control issues meant that Andretti Autosport was expected to purchase a controlling stake in the Sauber-owned outfit and then not actually have control over it, he nodded and said: “Basically.”
Regarding Herta, Andretti feels as though the American driver could've been a match for his European counterparts and that there’s plenty of enthusiasm in Formula 1 for an American driver landing on the grid, as well as the arrival of a second American team.
Andretti also stated that if the deal had gone through and Herta made the switch to Formula 1, then 2021 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood would have taken Herta’s place in the team’s IndyCar line-up.
“I’d just like to put an end to some of these rumors that the deal fell through because of financial reasons. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It had nothing to do with that,” he explained.
“It basically came down to control issues in the final hours of negotiations. That’s what killed the deal. I’ve always said if the deal is not right, we’re not going to do it, and in the end it wasn’t right. So, we continue to look for other opportunities.”
When asked to clarify if these control issues meant that Andretti Autosport was expected to purchase a controlling stake in the Sauber-owned outfit and then not actually have control over it, he nodded and said: “Basically.”
Regarding Herta, Andretti feels as though the American driver could've been a match for his European counterparts and that there’s plenty of enthusiasm in Formula 1 for an American driver landing on the grid, as well as the arrival of a second American team.
Andretti also stated that if the deal had gone through and Herta made the switch to Formula 1, then 2021 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood would have taken Herta’s place in the team’s IndyCar line-up.
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