Mike Hull, Ganassi's IndyCar Director, praised the work done by rival Michael Andretti in the IndyCar Series, and recalled the family's background of experience in the world of motorsports
Ganassi and Andretti have been great rivals for years in Indy. Together with Penske, the three teams have won the last 19 championships. But the rivalry doesn't stop the respect between the teams. Ganassi principal Mike Hull came out in defense of Andretti after Michael's team suffered a strong rejection from Formula 1 on its ambitious plan to enter the world's premier category of motorsport.
"It's ambitious, I certainly wish them all the best. You have 10 billionaires who are doing it, there are 20 cars on the grid, and they are all doing it at different levels. They all have good aptitude and obviously have good finances to be able to do this," Hull told The Race website.
"Michael [Andretti] is a motorsports guy. He understands what racing is all about. He was a driver and his father, when I was growing up, was probably one of the best drivers I've ever seen on a race track. So he has a huge aptitude for it," praised the Ganassi principal.
Andretti tried to acquire a share of Sauber and thus take control of the Italian Alfa Romeo team at the end of 2021, but the deal fell through due to disagreements over the command of operations. The American team then formally made official its desire to enter Formula 1 in 2024, but got no response from the category.
"I don't know if it scares Formula One, but I think he should be [a team owner] for that reason, because he is a person of this world. And he will understand and learn how to race cars there. That's what any category deserves and should have. They should never reject someone who has that aptitude. If they do, they should be ashamed of themselves," Mike criticized.
Andretti has the support of only two teams in the Formula One paddock: McLaren, because of their closeness to British team boss Zak Brown, and Alpine, since Andretti would have an agreement to run with Renault engines. Michael Andretti was at the Miami GP looking for more support, but has been met with strong rejection from the other teams, who don't want to share the commercial profits with yet another team.
While the doors to Andretti in Formula 1 are not opening, the team is focusing on Indy. The series returns this weekend for Indy 500 qualifying, and the 106th edition of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 29.