Andretti poached Mercedes and Ferrari employees before F1 SNUB

Michael Andretti at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Andretti poached Mercedes and Ferrari employees before F1 SNUB

Andretti were strengthening ahead of their expected entry into F1

Cal Gaunt

Friday 2 February 2024 19:57

Andretti had hired personnel away from other Formula 1 teams before FOM put the kibosh on their bid to join the grid.

Andretti had hoped to join Haas in representing the stars and stripes in the paddock as the proposed 11th team on the grid, and hopes were high after they had been given the go-ahead by the FIA late last year.

Fronted by former F1 driver Michael Andretti, the team have become a successful part of many other motorsport series, including IndyCar, Formula E and the IMSA series and were poised to join the fastest series of the all, subject to FOM casting their eye over the commercial viability of adding another team to the grid.

According to The Athletic, behind-the-scenes efforts were well underway, with work commenced on a car model in the wind tunnel. A satellite base at Silverstone was established, housing a workforce of 120 dedicated individuals driving Andretti's ambitious - and ultimately futile - foray into Formula 1.

Formula 1 rejected Andretti's proposal to join the grid

Andretti had begun work on a car which will likely now never see the grid

Andretti made key signings

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“It’s a team that wants to do it properly and wants to win,” said Andretti's newly-appointed technical director Nick Chester.

“You don’t want to be anywhere that doesn’t have that ethos. As I started talking before I joined, the resource behind it, the effort that was going to go behind it to make it win, just made it very, very attractive.

Formula 1 FIA Haas Michael Andretti