Andretti holds buyout of Haas as option: 'They can always call me'

While a second American F1 team seems to be on the way, in the form of Andretti, the current American F1 team is in quite a dilemma surrounding their main sponsor. Haas had UralKali as their main sponsor until this week, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine has put so much pressure on the sponsorship deal that Haas has decided to remove all UralKali references from the car.

So a major backer potentially disappears from the car, which could give Haas possible financial problems. Andretti has previously considered, instead of starting a new team, buying over the current Haas. "I've made a million calls to Gene Haas," Michael Andretti acknowledged to AP News.

Andretti open to takeover of Haas

So far it has not led to success, as Gene Haas has stood firm every time. Andretti indicates that if Haas does see fit, Andretti Global could just be on the starting grid as early as next year. "He doesn't want to sell it to me right now. If he ever wants to sell it, he can always call me. That makes it a lot easier for everybody."

As Andretti makes his entrance into the sport, he also already knows one of the drivers he will bring along. Reigning IndyCar champion Colton Herta makes no secret of his desire to make the transition to F1. An American driver at an American team would be perfect marketing, Andretti also sees. "It's good for him to know he has that in him," Andretti concluded.