Cadillac Will Enter F1 With Andretti
The Andretti Cadillac F1 team, as it will be called, will soon be filing a formal entry request with the FIA.
Andretti Global and General Motors confirmed Thursday morning that they'll be joining forces to enter Formula 1 under the Cadillac name. This announcement comes just one day after FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem expressed his desire to expand the F1 grid in future years. No time frame was given by Andretti or GM for when the team is expected to make its racing debut.
Michael Andretti and GM President Mark Reuss were present at this morning's press conference, where the duo expressed their excitement over the new partnership. This decision is apparently the result of "four or five months of discussions," said Andretti. They also shared that a "collaboration" with an engine supplier was already in the works and that a technical director had already been hired—though no names were shared.
GM nor Cadillac will be the engine supplier for this new team. Instead, GM will work with an existing F1 engine supplier. Aero, chassis, and other combustion-related development will be handled by GM in Warren, Michigan, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Andretti has been building a new HQ in Fishers, Indiana for a while, which will support some of the F1 operations along with IndyCar, Formula E, and others. A support facility in the U.K. will serve as the European hub for the team. No specific locations were shared, nor if they would share a workspace with an existing F1 team or engine supplier.
"We are continuing to grow Andretti Global and its family of racing teams and always have our eyes on what’s next," said Andretti. "I feel very strongly that we are suited to be a new team for Formula One and can bring value to the series and our partners, and excitement for the fans. I’m proud to have GM and Cadillac alongside us as we pursue this goal. GM and Andretti share a legacy born out of the love of racing. We now have the opportunity to combine our motorsport passions and dedication to innovation to build a true American F1 bid.
“Together, we will continue to follow procedures and steps put forth by the FIA during the evaluation process. In the meantime, we continue to optimistically prepare should we be fortunate enough to have Andretti Cadillac formally approved as a Formula One contender," Andretti added.
The "true American F1 bid" part of Andretti's speech surely sounds like a dig at Geen Haas' F1 team, which has failed to give young Americans a shot at F1 and has gone as far as wearing the Russian flag livery on its car before. That is until it was forced to wipe them off to avoid backlash due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The automotive and racing powerhouses remained mum on driver announcements, only sharing that the Andretti Cadillac F1 team will field one American racing driver. Despite their silence, it's safe to assume that F1-hopeful Colton Herta is at the top of that list, given the financial support he enjoys from Gainbridge. The annuity company not only personally sponsors Herta and Andretti's IndyCar team, but is also forking over many millions to get the Andretti name on the F1 team roster.
“General Motors is honored to team with Andretti Global on this historic moment in racing," said GM President Mark Reuss. "We have a long, rich history in motorsports and engineering innovation, and we are thrilled with the prospect of pairing with Andretti Global to form an American F1 team that will help spur even more global interest in the series and the sport. Cadillac and F1 both have growing global appeal. Our brand has a motorsports pedigree that’s more than a century in the making, and we would be proud to have the opportunity to bring our distinct American innovation and design to F1.”
This is a developing story. Stay tuned.
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