Mario Andretti has been striving to float his own F1 team for quite some time now. Existing teams’ bosses, including Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, did not take well to the proposal. Former F1 mogul Bernie Ecclestone has now trashed those arguments and lent his support in favor of the 11th team in the pinnacle of motorsport.

The Andretti family is yet to receive the final assent from F1 to start a team of their own. However, they are going all out to ensure they are all ready to go once the final verdict comes. The family, along with many dignitaries, broke the ground for a state-of-the-art $200 million facility, which will be spread over 575,000 square feet.

As per Roger Benoit’s report, Bernie Ecclestone said, “The name Andretti would be very good for the sport, which is now spreading more and more in America. Many teams are simply afraid that they will have to share the billion dollar cake with an eleventh team. But according to the law, only the ten best teams continue to concede. Where is the problem? Up to two years after joining, nothing would change anyway!” [Translated using Google]

Toto Wolff’s concern about the addition of the 11th team lies in the share of the prize fund. Speaking at a press conference during the Miami GP weekend, Wolff told, “we have 10 entries today. We divide the prize fund amongst those 10 entries. We have invested considerable amounts over the last 10 years. Each of the organizations that are sitting here on the podium has probably put more than a billion into their Formula 1 projects over the years.”

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Mario Andretti is not the only one who is looking to jump into the F1 pool. Hong Kong billionaire Calvin Lo too has expressed his interest. However, until now, the Andretti family seems to be the only one closest to realizing their dream.

Mario Andretti shares his vision of the Indiana-situated facility

Mario, speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Andretti Global facility in Indiana, told it was going to be Ferrari’s in Maranello. He also spoke about having a restaurant with the family’s best recipes. The facility will also have an amphitheater which will be used for hosting watch parties on race weekends.

His son Michael, also present at the event, told about when he expected to hear from F1 next. As per IndyStar, he said, “We’re hoping in the next couple weeks. That would sure be a nice Christmas present.”

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“But we’re working every day (to earn clearance for an expansion team). I’m still confident. We’re getting close. We haven’t gotten the ‘OK’ yet, but we’re getting really close.”

Watch This Story: Mario Andretti Teases Blockbuster American Formula 1 Team in 2024