Who Should the Potential New Team Target?
Andretti and Cadillac have announced their intention to join F1 in the coming seasons, as a joint venture between the American racing giant and General Motors. It comes following Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s announcement that the FIA will be initiating a new system to register the interest of manufacturers who wish to join F1.
It is now a badly kept secret in F1 that Andretti wants to join the mechanical circus, with Michael Andretti stating “I feel that we are well suited to be a new team for Formula One and can bring value to the series and our partners, and excitement for the fans“. In doing so, they would become the first new team in F1 since Haas joined back in 2016.
“Cadillac and F1 both have growing global appeal. Our brand has a motorsports pedigree that’s more than a century in the making, and we would be proud to have the opportunity to bring our distinct American innovation and design to F1.”
Mark Reuss, President, General Motors
With the bid coming to the fore in the F1 media, we take a look at five drivers who we think could fill the roll for Andretti, when the time comes for them to take to track.
Colton Herta – Andretti (IndyCar)
Colton Herta would seem like the obvious choice for Andretti to lead in their debut season in the sport. The Californian 22-year-old was in a prime position to take up a role in the Red Bull ecosystem with Alpha Tauri, however, his lack of super licence points was the ultimate issue. Herta would need a title-winning season in the 2023 IndyCar season to stand a chance of overcoming that particular hurdle again.
However, being courted by higher-ups at Red Bull should set him in good stead for a drive in F1. Add in the simple fact that he is currently a member of the Andretti roster, and having an American on the team would cement the patriotic image the team is already cultivating. Throw this in with his test driver role at McLaren, and it’s clear to see he is being put in a position to transition to F1 relatively soon.
Herta is coming off a 10th-place finish in 2022, his lowest finishing position since his debut season in the series. However there were some positives to take, two pole positions and a win during this season mean it wasn’t a total loss, and with the prospect of F1, it will surely motivate him to get back to his top form.
Louis Foster – Andretti (Indy NXT)
Another Andretti man, Foster is perhaps a slight long shot, however, his junior career so far indicates that he may be something special. His race record so far is a sea of top-three standings. 2nd in Ginetta Junior in 2018, 3rd in British F4 in 2019, 3rd in British F3 in 2020 and 2nd inEuro Open Formula in 2021, with his crowning achievement so far being his title-winning season in 2022, where he moved to the US to compete in the Indy Pro 2000 series.
The 19-year-old secured seven wins from 18 races, in addition to five poles and ten fastest laps, finishing on a total of 451 points. There is no doubt that his racing career is on an upwards trend, and 2023 will be a big challenge as he steps up to Indy NXT with Andretti. He faces a strong grid, with Jamie Chadwick, Hunter McElrea and Matteo Nannini all looking to challenge him for the title, with more drivers to be announced.
Foster is seen as a talent within Andretti, despite not being in the team for too long. During his announcement, Micheal Andretti stated “He is just coming off his Indy Pro 2000 championship; we are looking forward to carrying that momentum into his rookie Indy Lights season. I think he will adjust quickly, and I look forward to seeing him take the next step in his American racing career”.
Daniel Ricciardo – Red Bull (Reserve driver)
Daniel should be high on the list for Andretti for obvious reasons. An established race winner, with an iconic driving style and loveable demeanour, he would be an incredible asset both on and off of the track. As turbulent as the last few years have been for him, a year rebuilding his confidence in an environment he thrives will do him a world of good. Whilst hindsight is 20/20, it’s too easy for people to say he should never have left that environment in the first place, being in this current situation was always a possibility.
Daniel has made it clear that he intends to be back on the grid in 2024 and will take a break for the 2023 season, playing a part in the Red Bull set-up for the up and coming year. A move to Andretti would also help Ricciardo expand his options post-F1 career. The obvious answer would be over to their IndyCar lineup, however, options could come up back home too, with Andretti running a Supercars team back in his native Australia. This isn’t even mentioning options in Formula E and IMSA-related categories.
However, given that it will take a year or two for the Andretti entry to get accepted onto the grid, Ricciardo’s age becomes a factor. The Aussie will be turning 34 this year, meaning he will be on the verge of 35 if the entry comes into the sport in 2024, are there going to be younger options deemed better for the longer term of the fledgling team?
Ayumu Iwasa – DAMS (Formula 2)
Coming out of his debut year in F2, Ayumu Iwasa was seen as a surprise package, coming into the series as a fairly unknown quantity, after having a fairly standard season in F3 the season prior. He finished the season 5th with DAMS, finalising a solid year with his first win in the category during the final race in Abu Dhabi. Throughout the season he was lauded for his attacking and relentless style of driving, often being one of the quickest cars on the track.
Iwasa is still part of the Red Bull Driver Academy, which is becoming more and more saturated, as two more F2 drivers were added to the roster after the end of the 2022 season. Iwasa is also part of the Honda Formula Dream Project, which could see him linked to the Andretti project. It is speculated that Honda will be the engine manufacturer of choice for Andretti, who already supplies the IndyCar division of the team. Hypothetically, this could offer Iwasa an opportunity to the “top level of motorsport”.
Otherwise, Iwasa would be in the ever-growing list of drivers linked to the Alpha Tauri seat, a seat which is far from the most stable driver in F1. The willingness to promote young talent was called into question just this summer with the signing of 28-year-old Nyck De Vries, over Liam Lawson, who has been moved to Super Formula for the 2023 season. There are multiple avenues that Iwasa could explore for his post-F2 career, and Andretti could become one of those.
Mick Schumacher – Mercedes (Reserve driver)
In a similar fashion to Ricciardo before him, Mick Schumacher has been left without a drive for 2023, but with a firm stance that he will be back on the grid for 2024. The former F3 and F2 Champion was left without a driver after Haas opted for experience over youth, bringing in Niko Hulkenberg following his three-year hiatus from a full-time drive.
Schumacher had a rough 2022, from self-inflicted errors, most notably in Saudi Arabia and Monaco, to poor strategy from the team, both contributed to his ousting from the team, with the F1 community seemingly split in two about his departure.
The facts are that Mick is a young driver with F1 experience, similar to Daniel, but with more time on his side, making him a possible longer-term option. Not to mention his name carries a lot of weight, not just in F1, but in global motorsport, which would be more than helpful for Andretti. Another thing that Mick has is Toto Wolff in his corner, following the announcement of him becoming Mercedes’s third driver. Toto has a track record of helping associated drivers get back into the sport, the likes of Esteban Ocon and Nyck De Vries were both helped by their link with Toto.
Honourable Mention – Josh Pierson
Josh Pierson is a name familiar to people who watch WEC, someone who despite having two wins in two outings in the Asian Le Mans series, and an entry at Le Mans to his name, is only 16 years old. Pierson will be demonstrating his versatility in 2023 by venturing back into open-wheel racing, competing in Indy NXT, alongside the aforementioned Foster.
Given his extremely young age, it is plausible that he may not be ready for F1 when Andretti is, however, he may prove a good option as a development driver, with the view of a permanent drive when he has reached that level of maturity. But if he is able to make the step up to F1, he would make a great choice for a younger entry in the Andretti F1 team.
He is a mainstay in the United Autosport LMP2 team, alongside British stalwarts Oliver Jarvis and Alex Lynn, who will no doubt give the young American a leg up in terms of experience in the category. It is foreseeable that he continues in prototype racing, a category which would allow him to compete for potentially around 20 years, in comparison to formula racing, which usually has a shorter shelf life.
