--- title: "F1 Asked GM to Partner With Someone Other Than Andretti: Report" date: "2023-10-25" modified: "2023-10-25" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/f1-asked-gm-to-partner-with-someone-other-than-andretti-report" categories: - "F1" - "GM News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Racing" --- # F1 Asked GM to Partner With Someone Other Than Andretti: Report ![]() *\AP \* It's been a rocky road for Michael Andretti's plans to make the [Formula 1]() grid come 2025 or 2026. The American racing organization has faced disdain by Europe's Billionaire Boys Club, even after securing as massive an automaker partner as there is in [General Motors](). Now, the *Associated Press* reports that F1 management went as far as asking the manufacturer to partner with someone else. "\[Michael\] Andretti can make a case that keeping him out of F1 is indeed personal: Three different people with direct knowledge of the conversations confirmed to AP that F1 asked General Motors if it would partner with someone other than Andretti," wrote Jenna Fryer in her latest *[AP]()* column. Back in January, Andretti Global [confirmed]() it would partner with the Cadillac brand to form the Andretti Cadillac F1 team. Earlier this month, F1's governing body, the FIA, [approved]() Andretti Global's application—the only one it greenlit of seven applicants. It was at that point that things got serious, though it didn't quite mark a victory for Team Andretti yet. ![]() *F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Getty Images* As we've reported before, joining the F1 circus requires two approvals, at the very least. The first one is from the FIA—*check*. The second one is from Formula One itself, owned by media conglomerate Liberty Media, whose CEO is ousted Scuderia Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali but run parallel (and similarly to a mafia) by the current 10 F1 teams. That's the box Andretti is currently struggling to check. And as Fryer highlights, the world is starting to see through the team boss' claims that "it's not personal." The constructors' stance is easy to understand: they don't want to split the money in more ways. As FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem [said]() before, "It’s about the money. It’s only about the money. That’s what’s personal. They don’t want to share the money." What's not as easy to understand is F1's own reluctance to welcome Andretti and General Motors, especially given its desire to expand in the United States. Domenicali has reportedly been ghosting Michael Andretti during most of this process, though that's no surprise given his earlier remarks that [the sport "has no need" for the new entry](). ![]() *F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Mercedes F1 CEO, owner, and team principal Toto Wolff. Getty Images* Things are so bad that when Mario Andretti presented Domenicali with an award from the National Italian American Foundation last week, he reportedly did not respond to a congratulatory text from Michael. Per the *AP* report, Michael had to essentially ambush Domenicali in Austin for a meeting. Similar to high school drama, this situation between Andretti Global and F1 may have to be resolved in the principal's office if they can't amicably figure it out themselves. As Fryer cleverly said, that office may be the U.S. court of law. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()