ANDRETTI SHOWS THE RIGHT PASSION
There aren’t too many motor racing names that resonate with the man or woman n the street, but Andretti certainly is one of those. The all-American hero with Italian roots, Mario certainly captured the imagination of the world when he powered his way to the F1 World title in 1978. The dynasty he has gone on to create has been huge. Son Michael is at the helm of Andretti Autosport, which has become a motorsport powerhouse. Outside of grand prix racing, it is probably the most prolific and successful squad on the planet. So why is its projected entry into Formula 1 such a sore point for those already involved with grand prix racing? The answer is simple: greed.
The current grand prix cash war chest is split between 10 teams. They want to make sure that their slice of the cake remains as profitable as it has been since 2016, when the grid was slimmed down to just 20 cars. The fact that any new team has to put up a $200 million fund to guarantee the others won’t be out of pocket is, frankly, ridiculous. It is anti-competitive in the extreme.
There were 21 constructor entries into the Formula 1 season in 1989, and a whopping 47 drivers attempted to qualify for a grand prix during that period. While I am not advocating a return to those days (when some of the efforts defined the word embarrassing), there has to be room for the existing teams to accept a bit of change – no matter what it does to their bottom line. If a team is good at its job and is successful, the quibbling over the dollars should not even enter its psyche. Formula 1 bosses keep banging on about what rude health the sport is in. If that is the case, then why not look at accepting quality entries from strong brands such as Andretti? Drive out the protectionism and open those gates, that’s my view.
In this issue, we put the MN readers’ questions to Cornish flier Joey Foster, now confirmed as a four-time Walter Hayes Trophy FF1600 winner. The now-40-year-old has a passion for racing that is unmatched among the modern generation and his journey from Formula Vauxhall to Le Mans is one that should be an inspiration to anyone with the dedication to make it in racing.
You can’t help but begin to plot the motor racing season at this time of year as calendars are beginning to formulate. Our staff have hand-picked some of their most anticipated showdowns of 2023, so turn to page 22 to find out what has got us excited already. And, most of all, make sure you go!
We also look ahead to the Autosport International Show, which starts today. If you are heading to the NEC, don’t forget to seek out Motorsport News. Deputy editor Graham Keilloh and myself will be on hand across the four days and we would love to meet you. Come to stand 2483 and say hello.