Ferrari has revealed its interest in expanding into the NTT IndyCar Series. New F1 regulations could lead to different opportunities.

Scuderia Ferrari has admitted that it is taking into consideration the possibility of expanding into the NTT IndyCar Series.

The confirmation comes days after 1969 Indianapolis 500 champion Mario Andretti called on the Italian outfit to join North America’s premier open wheel championship. The 80-year-old racing icon is one of only four drivers to win drivers’ championships in both Formula 1 and IndyCar.

Additionally, he drove for the Prancing Horse for two years in the early 1970s, and then again in 1982 to close out his F1 career.

Scuderia Ferrari is widely regarded as the most iconic team in Formula 1, along with having a sterling history in sports cars. However, in a recent interview with Sky Sports Italia, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto admitted his team is open to venturing into other racing disciplines—largely due to the budget cap constraints that were voted on last year in F1.

“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,” said Binotto. “For this reason, we have started to evaluate alternative programs and I 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.”

While minimal, Ferrari does have history at the Indianapolis 500, aka The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, where in 1952 the Prancing Horse had its lone entry with Alberto Ascari driving to a 31st-place finish.

With only Chevrolet and Honda currently in the discipline, Ferrari would immediately provide IndyCar with a third engine manufacturer—something it has not had since 2012 when Lotus was briefly involved. There is also potential to come in as a chassis manufacturer, as well.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has also taken its toll during the process of trying to manage a budget, which Mattia Binotto notes is another part of the challenge for all teams involved in Formula One.

“The budget limit has already been implemented for 2021, with a perspective of $175 million, and we want to reduce it further facing this pandemic and the economic crisis, so we have to reduce it to keep that level low,” said Binotto. “We are about to reach a $145 million agreement. F1 has always had rules and regulations; like any other sport, there are limits, which we establish, and the best team is the team that within the limits creates the best result. This new rule is something we must comply with, within limits and boundaries, and we must do our best. This does not limit technology and innovation—it is up to us to do our best.” – the Ferrari boss concluded.