Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
It is not news that Michael Andretti wants to enter Andretti Autosport into Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3, but how it accompanies his Formula 1 plans has changed since 2022.
Last year he viewed a move into F1’s support series as a precursory step to help convince the FIA they would be an appropiate addition to the world championship in the future, although F2’s chief executive officer Bruno Michel told Formula Scout that Andretti had not been in contact about joining the support paddock and that he did not think it would be good for F2 or FIA F3 to grow their grid sizes.
Now Andretti’s interest in the junior series goes the other way around. If Andretti Autosport is granted an entry into F1 by the FIA for 2026, he would then like to establish squads in the feeder series so he can develop drivers for his F1 operation.
F1’s current teams have repeatedly spoken on the record about how they have not warmed to Andretti’s F1 plans, and Formula Scout asked three team bosses from the support paddock what they thought about the American giant joining F2 and F3.
“It’s the first [time I’ve] heard about it. But they are more than welcome,” said Campos Racing’s team principal Adrian Campos Jr. “I think they will have difficult times against us. I think that we all think the same. So, yeah, why not?”
Oliver Oakes, who has actually lodged an F1 entry bid too with his Hitech GP team, added: “I should be nice. [Andretti] has said a lot of things in the press in the past few months and weeks. I would say that he’s always welcome to come and race here, but they have quite a few categories. And I think actually, as we know in F2 and F3, it’s a credit to the quality of teams and the job Bruno has done with the championship that a team like that would like to come and race here.”
Trident’s F2 team manager Giacomo Ricci agreed.
“They are more than welcome and it would be nice to have a big name in the series. And I’m sure that it would be a great challenge also for them to join us.”
Oakes then joked that “maybe we could start the rumour that [Trident] should go to IndyCar”, which Ricci replied with “I’ve heard these rumours too!”.
Like Andretti, Campos, Oakes and Ricci are all former drivers themselves. Campos competed against Andretti Autosport in Indy Nxt back in 2010, Oakes raced in FIA F3’s predecessor GP3 before bringing Hitech there in 2019 as the series rebranded, and Ricci was a winner in F2’s predecessor GP2. He had a deal to race in IndyCar’s rival Champ Car but the series went bankrupt before he could debut.