Andretti Global and General Motors have teamed up in a bid to join the Formula One grid under the Cadillac brand, the team announced on Thursday. The move could bring two American powerhouses to the grid in future, although it still needs approval from both F1 and racing’s governing body, the FIA.
Michael Andretti, son of 1978 F1 champion Mario, last year announced his interest in entering F1 in the future, but the existing teams were reluctant to welcome an 11th outfit to the grid. FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem kicked off the new year by confirming racing’s governing body had opened the process for finding a new team in future.
On Thursday, Andretti and General Motors confirmed their plans to enter an “all-American” team in response to the FIA’s call. Any new entry would not formally join F1 until 2026 at the earliest.
The potential Cadillac team would primarily operate out of the Andretti Global headquarters currently under construction in Fishers, Indiana, with a satellite facility in Europe, where all 10 of the current teams are based. The team would need to secure an engine deal before joining.
Andretti tried to enter F1 ahead of the 2022 season by taking over the Sauber team, which has since entered into a future partnership with Audi for 2026 and beyond. Andretti had planned to include American IndyCar driver Colton Herta in the Sauber takeover, and he has confirmed he still wants a homegrown driver if the Cadillac entry is successful.
“We definitely have plan to have an American driver,” Andretti told the media on Thursday.” I think you all know who is leading the pack on that one.
“Colton we have under contract right now in IndyCar. We want to make this an all-American effort to make sure we have an American driver in the seat.”
It is understood there have been multiple expressions of interest in joining the F1 grid from other potential teams in recent weeks and months. An F1 statement read: “There is great interest in the F1 project at this time with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others. We all want to ensure the championship remains credible and stable and any new entrant request will be assessed on criteria to meet those objectives by all the relevant stakeholders. Any new entrant request requires the agreement of both F1 and the FIA.”