Michael Andretti’s hopes of winning a Formula 1 team have been disappointed, at least for the time being.
The CART Indycar champion, who became the motorsport team boss, was unsuccessful in his attempt to acquire the Sauber, which runs the F1 team of the Alfa Romeo brand, as RaceFans know from sources.
Andretti was tied to an acquisition of the team, which was acquired by Longbow Finance in 2016. It has been running under the name Alfa Romeo in a branding deal since 2019.
It is believed that the parties have not agreed on the terms of a sale. Andretti’s potential acquisition did not involve the Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) he announced in March.
“We have no comment to give to these rumors,” an Alfa Romeo spokesman told RaceFans. “Any past, present, or future discussion about team ownership is the responsibility of the shareholders and not about something that the team will make a statement about.”
Andretti’s interest in the team sparked speculation that Colton Herta – his IndyCar driver who won the last two races of the season this year – might join F1 despite not being eligible for a super license in 2022.
Alongside Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou is still the favorite for the team’s second run. Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur previously said he wanted to assess the drivers’ performance in Formula 2 before making his decision. Sauber-backed rider Theo Pourchaire is also being considered, but Vasseur has indicated that Zhou’s junior alpine rider Oscar Piastri, who is currently leading the F2 points classification, is not.
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