Andretti Global has joined forces with General Motors’ Cadillac brand in a bid to enter and compete in the F1 championship.
In a big announcement from Andretti on Thursday, the American racing giants revealed its plans to enter and compete in F1 championship in partnership with General Motors’ Cadillac brand – a move which was only reported about few hours from the release.
It is no surprise that Andretti has been looking to enter F1 for the last few years. They came close to sign a deal with Sauber Motorsport which didn’t work out, with the Swiss team going with Audi. But they didn’t stop their pursuit towards the pinnacle.
They forged a partnership with Cadillac earlier this year to compete in IMSA which made it easier to bring them on board for their F1 chances. With America set to host three grands prix in 2023, the time is right for another American team to join the grid.
Haas has become a formidable team in the sport and are recovering back into the midfield. But since then, no one has managed to make it into F1 due to the large entry fees which the FIA put in place to avoid teams going bankrupt and folding.
There has been back and forth with the existing teams who will have their share of money on the decreasing side if a new team join in, but the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem last week asked his team to look into the interests of potential entrants.
A week later, Andretti announced its plans alongside Cadillac as they are to submit their interest with at least one American driver in the team. “Two icons. One pursuit. Andretti Autosport is thrilled to support the news of Andretti Global and General Motors with Cadillac , two American powerhouses coming together to pursue the opportunity to compete in the FIA F1 World Championship,” they said in a small statement.
At the same time, Michael Andretti said: “We are continuing to grow Andretti Global and its family of racing teams and always have our eyes on what’s next. 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.”
And General Motors’ Mark Reuss, added: “General Motors is honored to team with Andretti Global on this historic moment in racing. 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.”
Sulayem, meanwhile, welcomed the interest. “I welcome the news of the Cadillac and Andretti partnership and the FIA looks forward to further discussions on the FIA F1 World Championship Expressions of Interest process,” he said.
A statement from the FIA further stated: “The FIA is exploring the Expressions of Interest process and we will provide a further update in the near future. Today’s news from the United States is further proof of the popularity and growth of Formula One.
“It is particularly pleasing to have interest from two iconic brands such as General Motors Cadillac and Andretti Global. Any additional entries would build on the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 PU regulations among OEMs which has already attracted an entry from Audi.”
Here’s how the F1 2022 teams were categorised in ranking: https://formularapida.net/f1-2022-teams-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
Here’s how the F1 2022 drivers were categorised in ranking: https://formularapida.net/f1-2022-drivers-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
Here’s drivers’ list of Top 10 drivers
Here’s the team bosses list of Top 10 drivers
Here’s Mohammed Ben Sulayem on FIA team looking into interest
Here’s Frederic Vasseur on the need of independent teams
Here’s FIA expanding on Sporting Code changes
Here’s Ross Brawn on F1 weekend format
Here’s F1 2023 entry list