Mario Andretti has revealed that his son Michael, who is looking to enter F1 in 2024 with Andretti Global, has already reached a "formal agreement" with Renault for an engine supply.

It was two weeks ago that, 1979 world champion, Mario revealed that his son had officially lodged his interest in entering F1 with the FIA.

Speaking to David Land, who hosts a YouTube channel dedicated to motor sport, Andretti has given more insight into the potential new team.

"We have a formal agreement now on the engine supplier and it's out there, it's going to be Renault and I'm allowed to say it now," said the 1978 world champion.

"There was a lot of speculation from Toto Wolff, he was concerned about potentially it being Ferrari," added Andretti, referring to the extra political clout such a deal would give the Italian company, "meaning Ferrari would have more votes than he would have and so forth."

Already involved in IndyCar, Formula E, Extreme E and Australian Supercars, Andretti admits that entering F1 would be a "huge undertaking" a "quantum leap".

"There's a lot of steps to take here and I understand that," he said. "It's a huge undertaking, but we're ready for it. We have incredible partners on our side, Michael does, and we're there for the duration.

"Myself, I've been at it for 67 years now, so we know what goes on on all sides of the Atlantic and this is a great undertaking, a wonderful undertaking on Michael's part. This shows that he's very, very ambitious in the sport. That's his business, period.

"We live and breathe motor racing," he added, "and he's at the age now that he has to make the quantum leap, if you will, to be able to give it at least 20, 25 years, a good 25 years in a business. And that's it, so we're all in and we're ready to go.

"We know the prerequisites," he insisted, "also there's a time factor here... once we've said go ahead, we've got to go.

"A lot of work has been done. We know where the facility is going to be built in the UK. We know we have people, prominent individuals that have done this type of work as far as start-ups. We have a lot of things in mind."

Meanwhile, Michael, who failed in his bid to buy the Alfa Romeo/Sauber operation, revealed that he has previously attempted to buy the ailing Haas outfit.

"He doesn't want to sell," he tells AP. "If he wants to sell, tell him to call me. That makes it a lot easier for us.

"The last conversation I had with him was probably around October or November," he adds. "He told me he didn't care if he's running in the back, says it works for him anyway."

Of course, facing the loss of title sponsor Uralkali and its money, Gene Haas may well be considering a change of heart.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by ffracer, 08/03/2022 2:29

"@BrightonCorgi, I also thought that when the Alfa/Sauber deal failed, Honda was the most logical fit. (Still think that it's just a matter of time)

@Beans, I side with Toto on this. The issue for Mercedes teams is real: another Honda/Red Bull team or Ferrari team has always be a major issue when teams vote. Just look at how Red Bull conducts themselves when they don't get their way? Renault/Alpine would be perfect...Good move, Andretti.

Having said that, Toto's no fool and has to be concerned with the engine partner terms if/when Andretti Global finally turns a wheel. Are Honda or Ferrari already waiting in the wings?"

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2. Posted by Beans, 27/02/2022 16:06

"Oh Booboo ..... I mean Toto , you are just a genuine individual. Formula1's white knight ......"

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3. Posted by Chris Roper, 27/02/2022 13:45

"@BrightonCorgi

The Katana is out of its Saya but they have not yet committed Seppuku."

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4. Posted by ian_w, 27/02/2022 6:53

"@BrightonCorgi, If Honda had not pulled out, it would have been a great fit. But Red Bull would not have had the resources to supply their "Red-Bull(Honda) engines" to another competitor yet, especially with the twist now that Honda will continue to supply the engines (https://www.pitpass.com/71746/Honda-to-continue-supplying-Red-Bulls-engines-until-2025), which I still don't understand. Is Honda in or out or in, just don't tell Honda Mgmt?"

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5. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 26/02/2022 14:35

"Would have thought Honda would be the engine partner for Andretti."

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Andretti has "formal agreement" with Renault

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