Mario Andretti has been trying to get Andretti Motorsport into Formula 1 for a while now. He was previously rejected to enter the sport in 2025, however, recent reports suggest that FIA and Formula 1 could approve the team to enter the sport in 2026.
Earlier this year in January, Andretti Motorsport made their bid to enter Formula 1. They were not the only team to do so. Hitech GP, Lucky Sun, and Rodin Motorsport have also made a bid to enter the sport. Andretti Motorsport has been wanting to enter Formula 1 for a while now. Making their way to Formula 1 will improve Andretti’s overall brand value.
The FIA and Formula 1 are on a never-ending mission to improve the ratings and the value of the sport. Adding a new team to Formula 1 will reduce the shared winning prize for each team, but at the same time will increase the overall revenue of the sport in the long term.
📰: Four teams have applied for entry into F1 and Andretti Autosport, Hitech Grand Prix, “Lucky Sun” from Hong Kong, and Rodin Motorsport from New Zealand are rumored to be the candidates. The FIA is evaluating their technical, personnel, and financial capabilities. Alpine… pic.twitter.com/0ZiKnVHeDg
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) July 18, 2023
Andretti Motorsport Team is currently racing in IndyCar. They seem to be having success in the sport as of now. However, they are not satisfied with it. Formula 1 is often considered the pinnacle of motorsport. While IndyCar machines are faster than Formula 1 cars over a straight line, Formula 1 cars are much faster over the course of an actual circuit.
Both IndyCar and Formula 1 host 2 of the most iconic races in motorsport. Formula 1 hosts the Monaco Grand Prix while IndyCar hosts the Indy500. Both these races along with the 24hrs Le Mans race, complete the triple crown which is considered to be one of the finest accomplishments a driver can make.
What role will Alpine play for Andretti Motorsport?
The only team on the Formula 1 grid that has a Renault engine is Alpine. So the team is actively trying to find other teams who would also want to use their engines. Until 2018, Red Bull was being supplied with Renault Engines. However, a disagreement between the team principals of both teams broke up the partnership.
Providing engines to other teams will help Alpine with cash flow. A team could pay up to $20 million for acquiring power units from other teams. However, the engines are expected to become less expensive in 2026 as they will be removing the MGU-H component. In 2026, the Alpine engine could be valued somewhere around $10-15 million.
🚨 | The FIA is expected to approve Andretti and Hitech’s F1 application.
Alpine supports the application of new applicants because the French racing team would be the first point of contact for engines and a chassis partnership. #F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/ZJnfrIKXFf
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 18, 2023
None of the current Formula 1 teams seem to want to purchase Renault’s engines. Hence they will be supporting the arrivals of any new teams as they are potential customers. It is rumored that Alpine will be looking to see their engine and chassis to Andretti Motorsport.
The FIA and Formula 1 are expected to approve one other team’s bid to enter Formula 1 in 2026. Hitech GP confirmed their bid to enter the sport about a month back. Vladimir Kim recently made an investment in Hitech GP. Once the investment was made, the team made their bid.
Let us see if the FIA and Formula officially approve these teams to enter the sport in 2026.