Bernie Ecclestone suggests Michael Andretti’s missed opportunity to buy a Formula 1 team earlier has complicated his current ambitions to join the sport, amidst resistance from existing teams and Liberty Media.
Michael Andretti should have bought a Formula 1 team “years ago,” according to former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. Despite owning a very successful racing team in several of the biggest categories, Michael Andretti is desperately seeking to join F1.
“My heart bleeds when I see how Formula 1 is treating my son,” said Mario Andretti, the famous father of the former McLaren driver, as quoted by the Swiss newspaper Blick.
Although Andretti’s F1 ambitions are supported by the FIA, the sport’s commercial owner, Liberty Media, and the existing ten teams are opposed. Michael Andretti claims that none of the teams have been open to the idea of a sale, but Ecclestone believes he should have pursued this path much earlier.
“Andretti should have bought a team years ago,” said the former F1 financial guru to Roger Benoit, a journalist at Blick. “They wouldn’t have these problems today. It’s clear that the teams are defending themselves.”
Andretti’s Missed F1 Purchase. Andretti’s Missed F1 Purchase
