Michael Andretti, former IndyCar driver and who has been a race-team owner for more than 20 years, said on Monday he was stepping down as leader of the Andretti Global racing operation.
“Many of my best memories have come at the wheel of this organization, and I am so proud of what we have built,” Andretti said in a statement on the Andretti Global website. “But decades of running flat out doesn’t come without sacrifice and, after much thought and reflection over the past several months, I came to the decision to take a step back. I’ve had a day-to-day operational role since even before I stepped out of the race car.”
Andretti, 62, said he was yielding management to partner Dan Towriss, the founder and CEO of Group 1001. Andretti added he would be an advisor to the racing operation.
Andretti Global fields in teams in various racing series, including IndyCar and IMSA Sportscar.
The Monday statement confirms an interview Andretti gave to The Associated Press in late September.
“We’ve been working on this for a few months now,” Andretti told the AP. “For me where I am in my life and what I want to do, the timing was right for me to take a little different role with the team.”
Andretti is the son of racing legend Mario Andretti, 84, who won an F1 driver’s championship in 1978, the 1969 Indianapolis 500 and the Dayton 500 stock car race in 1967.
Michael Andretti made his debut as an IndyCar driver in the 1983 season. Between 1989 and 1992, Both Andrettis drove for an IndyCar team co-owned by actor Paul Newman. Michael Andretti drove in F1 for the McLaren team for 13 races in 1993 but was replaced after that. He returned to IndyCar series as a driver. In 2002, he became a team owner.
Michael Andretti’s career had frustrations. He never won the Indianapolis 500 despite a successful driving career otherwise.
More recently, Andretti Global sought to enter the F1 series. In January, F1 rejected a bid by Andretti Global to join the international racing series as an 11th team.
At that time, F1 said it may revisit the issue for 2028, when General Motors Co. would have an engine for an Andretti team that would promote GM’s Cadillac brand.
The proposed Andretti F1 team would not have a long-term race engine supply until GM was ready to go in 2028, F1 said in January. The Detroit-based automaker said in November 2023 it “formally registered” as an F1 “power unit manufacturer” starting in 2028 as part of an Andretti team.
“We would look differently on an application for the entry of a team into the 2028 Championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM works team or as a GM customer team designing all allowable components in-house,” F1 said in January. “In this case there would be additional factors to consider in respect of the value that the Applicant would bring to the Championship, in particular in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM to the sport” as an engine supplier.
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