ANDRETTI PRESSES ON WITH NEW F1 BASE AT SILVERSTONE
Andretti Global is pressing ahead with its ambitions to enter Formula 1 in the future after opening a new base at Silverstone.
The FIA opened up an Expression of Interest process over 12 months ago to discover potential new F1 teams, with Andretti’s proposal the sole bid to be accepted. But Andretti failed to receive the green light from Formula One Management (FOM) to enter in 2025 or 2026, casting doubt it would be a “competitive participant.” However, FOM noted that it would be prepared to reconsider the application come 2028 with the guarantee that General Motors will arrive as an engine manufacturer. Andretti had been ramping up plans for its prospective team prior to F1’s announcement, which included hiring exrenault engineer Nick Chester as Technical Director.
The American outfit had a base housed in Silverstone where a crew of individuals were working on nascent plans to test a full-scale F1 chassis model in mid-2024. Andretti has now embarked upon the next stage in its F1 venture with a fresh 48,000-square-foot building base at Silverstone that will scale up the size of its operation.
The new headquarters will house manufacturer facilities, including pattern, model and machine shops, ADM, electronics, R&D and additional office and meeting facilities. Meanwhile, the Silverstone base will also collaborate with Andretti’s main site in Indiana, United States, along with the Banbury base where its Formula E squad operates. Andretti reiterated that its “work continues at pace” and believes a European home now ensures it can “attract the best in F1 talent and install state-of-the-art machinery”.