F1 News
Ecclestone sceptical: 'Don't think the deal with Andretti will go through'
- GPblog.com
The possible takeover of Sauber-Alfa Romeo by Andretti Autosport has been on the agenda for a couple of weeks now. There were even rumours that a deal will be made this weekend in the United States. Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone however is very sceptical about the possible take-over.
Sauber employees fired
One of the things that makes the takeover difficult is that Andretti is planning to lay off two hundred Sauber employees at the factory in Zurich. Sauber boss Beat Zehnder is present in Austin this weekend, but due to canceled flights, he arrived a day late in America.
Another difficulty in the deal between Sauber and Andretti is the location of the Sauber factory in Zurich. "Switzerland is not exactly the ideal Formula One location for foreigners. Even if the conditions with the big factory and the wind tunnel are really given," said Ecclestone at Blick. "Especially the important Brits don't really get going here, they leave pretty quickly for personal reasons. They just don't feel comfortable without fish and chips."
Deal with Andretti Autosport
That said, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the former Formula One boss is sceptical about Andretti Autosport's takeover of Sauber. "I don't think the Formula One deal with Andretti will go through," he said.
Andretti Autosport was founded in 1993 and to date has won the IndyCar championship four times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2012) and the Indianapolis 500 five times (2005, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2017). Andretti Autosport is also active in Formula E, Extreme E and the Supercars championship.