

It’s going,” Andretti said initially when asked at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Friday. Guggenheim and Walter, who has an estimated net worth of $5.3 billion, according to Forbes, would certainly fit the description and might even get F1's attention more than the name Andretti.Mario Andretti initially had only a few words when asked how his son Michael Andretti’s efforts to field a Formula 1 team were progressing, but his frustration with the process became more apparent as he talked. This indicated that Andretti must have some deep pockets in his corner. So I don't give a crap what anyone says, we were never going to do a deal in which we bought the team but didn't have control of the team." They changed that two days before the deal was supposed to be signed. They wanted veto power on every decision. "It fell apart because all of a sudden, they changed the terms, and they wanted to control everything. "No, 1,000% no, that's not what happened," Andretti told The Associated Press.

There was some speculation that Andretti did not have enough money for the deal, and he vehemently denied that at the time. They are also believed to be the group that would write the checks for the $200 million F1 expansion fee and the estimated $1 billion it is expected to cost for the launch of a new team.īefore Andretti hoped to land an F1 expansion team, he was close to acquiring current team Alfa Romeo. Mark Walter's name may have had a bigger impact on F1 than Michael Andretti's.įrazer Harrison/Getty Images for Los Angeles Dodgers FoundationĪccording to Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star, this was significant as it was the first time that Andretti publicly acknowledged the involvement of Guggenheim, which has long been rumored to be the money behind Andretti Global's new facility. The name writing the checks might be more important than AndrettiĪt the beginning of the groundbreaking ceremony, Michael Andretti thanked several people, including Mark Walter, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, a group that was part of the purchase of MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers - as Guggenheim Baseball Management - and Chelsea FC of the Premier League.

In other words, F1 wants the game played a certain way, and if Andretti is still playing, it suggests that the hopes of an Andretti expansion team are still very much alive. "They have an expectation on approach and decorum that people should take in dealing with them, and we respect that." "There's a lot of conversations going on, and we're not trying to get out in front of anything or use the media as a tool to influence anything," Towriss said. In addition, Dan Towriss - the CEO for Group 1001, the owner of Gainbridge (one of Andretti's biggest sponsors), and one of the investors in Andretti's F1 bid - offered some insight into why we haven't heard much from Andretti in recent months. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
