F1 is bigger, more expensive and more complex than any other series in terms of motorsport. But joining a much smaller series like Formula E or Extreme E could help future F1 teams get their foot in the door.
At least that’s what Roger Griffiths, team principal of Andretti’s Formula E and Extreme E teams, says.
Griffith and Michael Andretti have a decades-long connection, starting with Griffith’s role at Honda and involvement in IndyCar. But when Andretti started growing up, Griffith was right by his side.
Andretti has a ‘very strong relationship’ with the FIA
“At the time, Andretti was investing in traditional American motorsport, which was IndyCar and the Road to Indy (ladder program),” Griffiths said at the Copper X Grand Prix, the final race of the Extreme E season in Chile. told PlanetF1.com in an interview.
“But IndyCar wasn’t in a great place and I think Michael (Andretti) understood that he needed to diversify his racing activities.
Griffiths joined Andretti about two months before Andretti’s first Formula E car hit the track and has been involved with the program ever since, leading Andretti’s international efforts in the sustainable electric championship. But the initial move in 2014 is having an impact almost a decade later.
“We had no relationship with the FIA before joining Formula E, but through that we developed a very strong relationship with the FIA,” explained Griffiths.
“For two seasons we were in a manufacturer position, which was very difficult, but the FIA was very respectful of what we were doing and the way we approached the team.
When the FIA opened expressions of interest for F1 teams wishing to compete on the F1 grid, there was no formal condition that those teams must have previously competed in an FIA sanctioned series, but or the team’s experience and ability in the motorsport sector.
Therefore, experience with the FIA will definitely be beneficial.
Now that he has an international stage, Griffith is confident Andretti will continue to improve.
“We’re becoming known worldwide. We’re no longer an American program,” Griffith said.
“We are leveraging our Formula E team as a pioneer in the IndyCar shop. We are trying to take our program to the world and have a presence at COP28. As a result, Andretti has become more professional. It has become an organization.”
And the global connections have already proven beneficial for Andretti. Avalanche, the title sponsor of Andretti’s Formula E team, first approached the team at the Long Beach IndyCar race.
But when Avalanche officials caught sight of images of Formula E cars on the walls of the team’s hospitality center, they were far more interested in the visibility and sustainability benefits of the Formula E program. I realized something.
“Having a diverse program in different series allows sponsors to say, ‘We love the Andretti brand, but we’ve done everything we want to do in a particular category. How can we grow?'” Griffiths said. explained.
Griffiths remained cautious about the possibility of Andretti’s entry into F1 being officially approved, but he sounded confident.
Category: F1 / andretti / Formula E
2023-12-17 21:27:42
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