“Some loose ends”

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Negotiations for the sale of the Sauber team (in F1 due to a sponsorship agreement like Alfa Romeo initially) to Andretti Autosport did not come to a conclusion as quickly as the participants had hoped. According to information from Motorsport-Total.com, talks will continue, but will not reach a conclusion or at least a basic understanding before the US Grand Prix in Austin, as originally hoped.

Insiders have reported “unrest” among employees at Hinwil, apparently because Michael Andretti’s concept involves firing up to 200 existing employees. To what extent this is just a wireless corridor or whether such plans already exist, the Americans will reportedly have to take more than 80 percent of the team from current owner Islero Investments, is unclear.

It is now a secret that Andretti wants to buy the team. Mario got Michael Andretti’s father Im podcast “F1 Nation” indirectly confirmed. declares that he is “not a spokesperson” for Andretti Autosport and therefore cannot contribute anything “really useful” to the matter; Then he reveals the continuation of the talks.

“There are still a few loose ends, as I understand the situation,” the 81-year-old explains. When asked by moderator Tom Clarkson if it was cool to see the resounding name Andretti on the entrance door to the Sauber factory in Hinwil, he replied, “Wait and see.”

Meanwhile, the American motorsport magazine “RACER” reportedThat Friday test of Colton Herta’s American car for Alfa Romeo in Austin, which has not been officially confirmed, but has been rumored to have been called off, has been called off because negotiations have stalled. Herta is one of Andretti Autosport’s star drivers in the IndyCar series.

Mario Andretti would be happy about the first American in F1 since Alexander Rossi (2015 at Manor Marussia): “Collton would be a good fit,” he says. “It comes down to when that can work. But the fact that we’re going to have two big races in the US next year is a good thing. It would be great to see an American driver.”

Herta, the son of former American racing driver and IndyCar team owner Brian Herta, is America’s greatest hope for bringing a driver back to Formula 1 for “many reasons”: “First of all, he trained there. It’s Formula 1 with Lando Norris 3 and he ran his first races in Europe.” ‘ says Andretti Sen.

In 2015, Hertha competed in the MSA Formula Championship and finished third overall. MA: Lando Norris. In 2016, he took top positions in the Euroformula Open as well as in the Spanish Formula 3 Championship and landed third and second on the podium in the overall standings before moving on to the Indy Lights series.

“Immediately someone should be on your radar,” Andretti recalls, “and when he switched to the IndyCar series, he won instantly — not through luck, but through calculated speed and driving.” In 2017, Herta finished third, and second in 2018 in the Indy Lights Championship – before switching to the “big” IndyCars.

There it is now fixed. Andretti points to the end of the season at Long Beach: “He came from 14th on the net. I wouldn’t have given him a 30% chance of winning there. But he made his way onto the field. He has a quality that, in my opinion, only everyone could do two decades ago. I would like to I see someone like him in Formula One.”

“I see in him a lot of ambition. He could also be content to have a good career in the States, with all that America has to offer: IndyCar, NASCAR. But I see very clearly with Colton that he is Formula 1 in the back of my country,” Andretti said, “ I think the timing is right. We’ll see what happens. But there is one simple thing going on.”