Michael Andretti says that his push to form a new team on the Formula 1 grid has made “good progress” in recent months.
Andretti has been working to establish his own F1 outfit and expand on his successful North American racing operations.
Last year, it was in detailed talks with Sauber to take over the team, but last-minute control issues that arose saw Andretti back away from a deal.
He is looking to join as an 11th team, and previously claimed that it has a formal agreement in place to run Renault engines.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali spoke earlier this year about a potential Andretti entry, asserting that it must add value to the series.
“I do believe, as I always said, that today it’s not the problem of having more teams that will give value to the championship, but there is a protocol that has to be fulfilled and everyone – Andretti included – is following that,” he said. “So this is the situation today, I don’t see any changes.
“We need to be prudent because when we are talking about Formula 1, we need to have an entity or a team or a manufacturer that is really solid, is really strong, and has a full commitment for an incredible long-term future.”
Some teams have expressed concern over the financial ramifications Andretti’s entry would have for F1.
Despite resistance from already-established F1 outfits, Andretti says that he is pushing forward with his bid.
“Yeah we’re still moving forward,” he told The Race.
“We’re still working hard. I think we made pretty good progress in the last couple of months and we’re not giving up.”
Should Andretti join the F1 field, it would mark the first time since 2016 that more than 10 teams were present.
