Helmut Marko

Marko suggests SHOCKING way to get Andretti onto F1 grid

Marko believes he has a way to solve problems for Andretti in their bid to join the F1 grid

Lauren Sneath

Wednesday 9 August 2023 17:57

Helmut Marko has suggested that Andretti Autosport should buy the Alpine F1 team as Renault struggles to bring its engine up to the power of other teams.

American former driver Michael Andretti has approached the FIA and the teams about joining the grid as an 11th team with Andretti Autosport without much success.

While Andretti has been attempting to enter the fray, Alpine has been struggling to stay afloat. In fact, its Renault engine is struggling so much that the team has asked the FIA if it could run higher-than-allowed fuel flow rates.

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Independent checks by the FIA have reportedly found that the team is at least 22 horsepower down on other teams such as Mercedes, Honda and Ferrari.

Michael Andretti is attempting to join the F1 grid

Now, Red Bull special advisor Marko has suggested that Andretti buy Alpine to fulfil its F1 ambitions.

He explained Renault’s tricky situation, telling SPORT1 that while he is not against the concept, it must not impact other teams negatively.

He said: "At least we were not against it as far as the cause Renault is concerned.

“But it must be clearly proven that the performance deficit is significant. And it must be ensured that measures are taken that do not weaken others.

“At the moment, therefore, the application has been put on hold."

Helmut Marko has an unconventional way to solve Alpine's problem

He added: "I can understand Alpine's problems. It's not just about the engine power.

“If you have too much performance backlog, you have to make compromises with the vehicle tuning to compensate for the missing speed on the straight, which can be up to three tenths of a loss. And this is at the expense of the driving characteristics of the car."

In terms of solving the problem, Marko has an idea. He explained: "Andretti should buy the Alpine team. This would be the best way to serve everyone.

“Formula 1 kept its 10 teams, Andretti could finally join and Renault would still be out of the game."

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