Andretti "closer than ever" to having financing for Sauber F1 team

Michael Andretti said his Andretti Autosport team is "closer than ever" to securing the funding to acquire the Sauber F1 team but is "still not there yet," according to Nathan Brown of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Should that become a reality, Andretti said that the "primary focus for this venture would be to bring a 'true' American race team and brand" back to F1. While Haas F1 is "owned by Ohio-native Gene Haas," the team now "has Uralkali as its title sponsor, a Russian company the father of rookie driver Nikita Mazepin has a large stake in." Andretti said, "It sure feels Russian to me. Liberty Media is really going after the American market hard and, obviously, to have a real American team, I think would be a real big deal for them." He added, "And if I were to do it, I’d work on getting an American driver out there. I think that would be really important. ... I think an American (driver) will never be treated fairly over there unless it’s with someone like us" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 10/21).