Former F1 strategist Bernie Collins highlighted the “huge risk” Andretti would take even if he were approved to join the grid.
Andretti Global had seen their proposal to become the 11th team on the grid approved by the FIA, but that proposal fell through as negotiations progressed to the FOM, but that does not mean the team will be the 11th team in the future. That doesn't mean he's stopped working hard to establish himself on the grid. .
Bernie Collins: Andretti's bid is a 'huge challenge' for the entire team
The latest step in Andretti's plans was the opening of a factory in Silverstone last week to strengthen his plans to be on the grid next season.
A power unit partnership with General Motors through Cadillac is also a contributing factor to the All-American team, and the proposed “worldwide” location in Fishers, Indiana, will be the home of Andretti's motorsports activities across multiple series. be.
But even if their proposal to join the grid is ultimately approved, former Aston Martin strategist Collins said the workload to get the team into a place where it is F1-ready will be a huge undertaking. – but the Silverstone location is a significant statement of intent in that direction.
“Starting a new F1 team is a big challenge, let alone starting a new engine team, so it's not surprising that they want to take it in stages,” Collins said. This was explained on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
“If you think about what I'm trying to say to attract talent, it's like, 'Yes, you can start with a blank slate in terms of strategy and do whatever you want and build a team around you.' But that's difficult.
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“It's hard to set up, deploy software, get historical data, and capture all the things that your team is working on. You know, we do a lot of work with historical data, but… It's not easily available to those who were just playing on the sidelines.
“So it's very difficult and, as you say, recruiting the right people to your team without a clear end goal is a big risk.
“Maybe someone in a senior role can take that risk, but a lot of younger people aren't in a secure position to take that risk, so it feels like a big risk.
“And it's very difficult to build everything around these two-, three-, four-year year-end goals, because if you don't show a little bit of what you can do first, it's going to be very difficult to get the right people. Because I think it will be.” Become or do what.
“The factory is probably that first physical step. It's the first sign of real intent – not the first sign, but for the people at Silverstone who are trying to adopt that they're serious, this is It's a physical sign, it's not going away – and it's encouraging to get people pushing the project forward and devoting time to the project.”
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