Michael Andretti, future shareholder of Sauber?

In 2016, the Sauber team, founded by Peter Sauber, passed into the hands of the Swiss investment company Longbow Finance. In 2018, the racing team came under the control of the new company Islero Investments, with Tetra Pak heir and racing fan Finn Rausing on the board of directors. For the 2019 season, Alfa Romeo became the new main sponsor and the namesake of the racing team Sauber Motorsport AG.

Andretti’s interest in Sauber has been the subject of rumors for a long time.

In 2016, Liberty Media announced its intention to develop the American presence in Formula 1 by buying the commercial rights of the sport. This American presence has grown, notably through Liberty Media’s investment in Netflix and e-sports. But now there will also be a second race in Miami, which will be added to the calendar next year alongside the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Moreover, a team could soon come under American ownership and join Haas amongst the American teams in F1. Andretti Autosports would be a significant addition to the paddock, a name powerfully evocative that could boost the popularity of Formula 1 in the United States.

An economical way to enter F1.

Currently, any new team wishing to enter Formula 1 would have to pay a fee of $200 million to prove its intention, not to mention the expenses associated with setting up an organization from scratch. Thus, a potential owner would face total costs of around $500 to $600 million.

According to the information circulating, an offer has been made by the American company to acquire 80% of the shares of the company that owns Sauber Engineering, that is, the F1 team, the engineering company, and the wind tunnel. The proposed offer is estimated at 350,000 dollars.

However, this does not seem to deter Andretti, who has raised funds to finance the operation, hoping that such a figure would be sufficient to persuade the Swedish billionaire Finn Rausing to part with his shares and sell them to him.

A mixed feeling about this offer

However, it would not be the right time to sell a Formula 1 team because the business is booming, Formula 1 is experiencing an economic boom. Indeed, in recent years, Formula 1 seems to be expanding exponentially worldwide. According to some, the Sauber team will be worth much more next year and even more in the years to come. This is also the opinion of the team principal of Mercedes Petronas AMG, Toto Wolff. In fact, during his podcast Formel Schmidt Podcast, F1 journalist Michael Schimdt shared a conversation he had with Toto Wolff. The latter told him:

« Anyone who sells their F1 team now must be crazy. The team will be worth much more in a year, and even more in two years. F1 is booming.

Especially since under the 2022 reform, with the capped budget and the new regulations, Sauber would be on the margins of progressing in the future and thus increasing its value. The general feeling is that with the increasing presence of F1 around the world, the team could be sold for a much larger amount in two or three years. So, this would definitely not be the right time for the team to sell Sauber.

When the issue was mentioned in interviews in Turkey, Frédéric Vasseur preferred not to really comment on this potential offer. “I can’t say anything because honestly, it’s not within my parameters. I am the CEO and team principal and this kind of discussion is not with me, it would be with the shareholders. We have so many rumors and so on that you have to ask the question to the company’s shareholders.”

However, if the green light is given, Andretti Autosport will add another series to its current activities, which include IndyCar where Romain Grosjean, a former F1 driver, has joined the team for the 2022 season, Indy Lights, IMSA, Formula E, Supercars championship and Extreme E.