Andretti reveals details of F1 team plan as ‘clock ticks’ on FIA call

The American’s Andretti Global operation has applied to enter F1, and needs to get a green light soon if it is going to have enough time to get things up and running.

Although there is no formal timeline for new entry deadlines in to F1, Andretti is clear he cannot wait much longer for the FIA to make a decision.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport about the situation, Andretti said: “We need it fast because the clock’s running for us to be there in 2024. We need to know within a month.”

Andretti says he is already quite clear in some key details about his F1 entry, with him committed to bringing his IndyCar driver Colton Herta to grand prix racing.

Andretti believes Herta’s presence would be one of the keys to making the team’s presence a success for F1 as a whole, at a time when there are two races in America – at COTA and new-for-2022 Miami – and a third is being planned for Las Vegas.

He suggested that the way Max Verstappen has boosted Dutch interest in grand prix racing proves that an American driver could do the same for the potential audience in the USA.

“You look at the growth in ratings in the Netherlands because they’ve got a driver,” he said. “There’s none here. If you get a good driver with a good following like Colton, I think they’ll be in great shape.

“To me it’s a no-brainer. I don’t know what the hold-up is, so hopefully they figure it out. The way we’re going to do it is going to be first class all the way. We’ve got big plans that will really be good for Formula 1.

“My backers are great, they’re in it to be competitive, they’re not just in it to say they’re in Formula 1. They’re sports guys, they’ve turned sports franchises around from where they weren’t competitive to then being competitive, so they