This past weekend, Mario Andretti unofficially invited Ferrari to join the IndyCar series with a plea in the Italian newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport. And now, we have confirmation that the Maranello carmaker is actually considering it.
In an interview with Sky Sports Italia, Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says that with the upcoming lower budget caps for Formula 1 teams, which could mean potential factory layoffs at Maranello, the team is actively looking at options with other race series, including IndyCar and possibly as early as 2022.
“Ferrari feels a lot of social responsibility towards its employees, and we want to be sure that for each of them there will be a workspace in the future,” says Binotto.
“For this reason, we have started to evaluate alternative programs and I [can] confirm that we are looking at IndyCar, which is currently a very different category from ours [in F1], but with a change of regulation scheduled in 2022 [to hybrid engines], we also observe the world of endurance racing and other series. We will try to make the best choice.”
Currently, Italian-based Dallara has been the lone chassis supplier in IndyCar since 2009, and only Honda and Chevrolet provide the engines, meaning it will be up to series owner Roger Penske to make the necessary Fiorano-sized rule changes. Having the Prancing Horse at the Indianapolis 500 after all – site of Ferrari’s one and only official factory entry at the event in 1952 – would bring yet more world focus to the event, not to mention IndyCar in general.
Ferrari’s potential arrival wouldn’t be the first time the American single seater series has had European flair; Lotus made a disastrous attempt at being IndyCar’s third engine supplier in 2021, while Cosworth, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have also supplied powerplants during the series’ CART and USAC days.
*Images courtesy of Ferrari
