The new Andretti Global facility at Silverstone was opened by Michael and Mario Andretti on Thursday as the team took another step towards a place on the Formula 1 grid.

The team was granted an entry by the FIA last October, but failed to pass the second stage of the process when F1 did not approve its bid in a statement issued on January 31. The project thus remains in limbo while discussions continue behind the scenes.

The team continues to target an entry in 2026, should an agreement with F1 be reached.

Despite the lack of confirmation of an entry it is pushing ahead with its plans, and the new facility is the highest-profile sign thus far that its ambition to join the grid is undimmed.

Hitherto the design team has been working in a temporary office on the Silverstone Park estate opposite the British GP venue.

The team has now commenced its move to the new 40,000-square-foot facility close by, with the aero department already in situ and the mechanical department set to follow. The team will also eventually take over an adjacent 70,000-square-foot building.

The design department and the race team will be based in Silverstone, while manufacturing and the building of the cars will eventually be undertaken in the USA at the new facility in Fishers, close to Indianapolis. Some R&D and design is also being undertaken at General Motors in Charlotte.

If an entry is ultimately granted for 2026, the plan remains to use Renault power for the first two seasons under the new regulations, before a switch to a Cadillac powerplant in 2028.

"F1 is obviously the pinnacle of auto racing in the world,” Michael Andretti told a gathering of team staff at Wednesday’s ceremony.

“We're in all different types of racing series, but to be in F1 is at the top. And so that's why I think for our brand, it'd be huge.

“And it'll just complete our goal, and that is to be in every single major sporting racing event in the world. And then obviously, getting to F1 is the top of that.

“So it's a big goal, it's been a goal of ours for a few years now. And we are right there, we're going to be there. And we feel very strongly that we're going to be there.

“And we're building a fantastic team as well, this is something that's going to be unique to F1, to build a real F1 team from scratch with great brains. And this is something that I think could catch a lot of people off-guard, when we do finally get on the grid."

Andretti Global partner Dan Towriss stressed that the commissioning of the new UK base was a key moment in the team’s history.

"I'd say an important step is today, it's opening our facility in Silverstone,” he said. “It's also continuing to acquire the talent necessary, to have the people, the financial resources, the technical resources able to have a competitive team. And so we're assembling the resources.

“Michael and I and Mario have a few things to do behind the scenes, but we're going to take care of business there. And so while that's happening, we're continuing to build the team.”

Regarding the Cadillac partnership Towriss said: “The collaboration with General Motors is fantastic, hearing how everybody's working together, across time zones. Technology allows things to happen in real time, it's so exciting. And so just to continue to capitalise on that opportunity.

“We just want to keep building. This is an important step today, and we'll continue to build. We've got a facility in Fishers that's being built as well, just to make sure that we have a world-class facility for world-class people to build a world-class team.”

Michael Andretti stressed that being able to start afresh was a key advantage for the new project.

"I think one thing is we are building from scratch,” he said. “So we're building a team with new ideas. I think some of the old teams that you join, they're already set in their ways.

“And we can go and design this exactly the way we want it, and do it in a new modern way. And I think there could be a huge advantage.

“And then having as a partner GM, who is as excited as we all are about getting out there and showing their technology, when we're going to bring all that together, we'll bring in something that's really unique.

“Along with another thing that's ever been done, and I think it's going to be a big story, it's going to be an all-American team in the end, with the car being built in the US, with an American engine, American owners and eventually American drivers. So it's always cool to be doing something that's never been done before.”

Alpine’s disappointing start to the Formula 1 season has already fuelled talk that its parent company Renault could consider offers to sell the squad.

However, according to information gathered in recent weeks, any possible sale of the outfit would likely be on the condition that any new owner would continue to use Renault engine power for the foreseeable future.

The opening four races of the 2024 season have confirmed Alpine is in a difficult spot, with it standing last in the constructors’ championship on zero points with Sauber and Williams.

However, it appears to be the least competitive out of the three and, to make matters worse, it is not a customer outfit but a full-on works squad with car giant Renault behind it.

Back in February 2023, on the occasion of the presentation of its new F1 car for that season, the team leaders indicated ambitious objectives.

After finishing fourth in the 2022 constructors' championship, the new target was to finish on the podium as much as possible and get closer to the top three, which at that time was Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

Just more than one year on, the scenario is very different. In the intervening period, CEO Laurent Rossi, team principal Otmar Szafnauer and two historical figures of the team, sporting director Alan Permane and technical director Pat Fry, have gone.

And rather than the management changes having helped the squad move forwards, it has slumped backwards to the bottom of the rankings.

The reasons are very complex, and it is not surprising that its situation has prompted talk that parties are interested in a takeover. It is a market law that you buy when a company value is at its lowest.

Renault originally regained ownership of the Enstone facility in 2015 and started using the Alpine brand from 2021 – as a means of restoring the image of the French manufacturer’s historic sports car brand.

But being at the back is not good for selling cars, and if there are no signs of progress soon, then it is not hard to imagine that offers to buy may be taken more seriously.

But while finding buyers may not be a problem, one complication is the future of the Renault engine division.

And according to information gathered in the Suzuka paddock, one of the conditions of the sale of the team is the stipulation that the Renault power unit continues to be used for a specified number of seasons – believed to run until 2029.

This would ensure a future for the group of engine engineers who are already working on the new turbo hybrid power unit which will debut in 2026.

However, this constraint of using the Renault engine could reduce the number of potential buyers - since some interested parties want to involve the use of their own power units or those of other manufacturers with which there are already links.

A statement from Alpine said: “The rumours and stories about the team being for sale are false. The team is categorically not for sale.”

Fernando Alonso will continue to race in Formula 1 with Aston Martin next season after the team announced that the two-time world champion has signed a fresh deal to keep him onboard into 2026 and the sport’s next regulatory cycle.

Alonso made the move to Aston Martin from Alpine for 2023 and the two parties enjoyed a strong start to their partnership by bagging six podium finishes across the first eight races of last year’s campaign.

Highlights included P2 finishes in Monaco, Canada and the Netherlands, as the Spaniard helped the team rise from seventh to fifth in the constructors’ standings under team owner Lawrence Stroll’s push to turn Aston Martin into a title-contending force.

Amid relatively stable regulations, and a converging field, Aston Martin have experienced a solid but unspectacular start to the 2024 season, remaining in fifth position behind Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes with a series of top-10 finishes.

Following on from the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s shock switch to Ferrari for 2025, there was also plenty of speculation over Alonso’s future, initially regarding whether or not he would commit to another stint in F1 and, if so, if that would be with Aston Martin.

But both of those questions have now been answered, with news landing on Thursday afternoon that Alonso will extend his stay at the Silverstone outfit into a third campaign and beyond.

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack said of the announcement: “Securing Fernando’s long-term future with Aston Martin Aramco is fantastic news. We have built a strong working relationship over the last 18 months and we share the same determination to see this project succeed.

“We have been in constant dialogue over the last few months and Fernando has been true to his word: when he decided he wanted to continue racing, he talked to us first. Fernando has shown he believes in us, and we believe in him.

“Fernando is hungry for success, driving better than ever, is fitter than ever, and is completely dedicated to making Aston Martin Aramco a competitive force.

“This multi-year agreement with Fernando takes us into 2026 when we begin our works power unit partnership with Honda. We look forward to creating more incredible memories and achieving further success together.”

Aston Martin sit fifth in the constructors’ standings after the opening four rounds of 2024, behind Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and leaders Red Bull.

​​​​​​​....In addition, the HP logo will make its debut on the Maranello F1 cars ahead of Miami Grand Prix scheduled for May 3-5, when the team will start competing as Scuderia Ferrari HP.....