General
Andretti rejected, Cadillac are welcomed with open arms: Here's why!
- Ludo van Denderen
After years of haggling, an eleventh team appears to be joining the F1 grid after all. Whereas Michael Andretti tried unsuccessfully to launch an F1 team with his surname, it looks like the new team will be the factory team of one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world: General Motors. The Americans will join the competition from 2026 with the Cadillac brand name, that was first leaked in Las Vegas and then was also confirmed by GPblog.
An announcement can be expected shortly from Cadillac. The team will face hell of a job to be on the grid in just over a year's time. Of course, hard work has already been completed in the background in tersm of the the F1 project, which until recently was led by Michael Andretti. Still, it will be quite a challenge to put together a full technical team that is actually working from this moment on a car for the 2026 season.
A few weeks ago, Michael Andretti announced he was stepping down as chief executive of Andretti Global - under which the F1 project also fell. Mario Andretti, Micheal's father, told GPblog before that what that means for the F1 project will be soon revealed, and that things were different from what the outside world seemed to think.
Cadillac's name play important factor
Since then, it was already cautiously coming to light that it was Michael Andretti himself was the biggest obstacle to an entry of an eleventh team. Much rather, the sport wanted General Motors to take the next step with their factory team, and not just as an engine supplier. Remember, GM had already signed up as an engine supplier for 2028 and beyond, but only with Michael Andretti as a partner. They have revisited the topic in Detroit, and the F1 project continues at General Motors and without Andretti Global's involvement.
Without Andretti and with thus the desired General Motors, the Formula One Management see the advantage of the Cadillac F1 team. Indeed, this is exactly what F1 wants to portray: a championship in which the very biggest car brands - and GM certainly are one - compete against each other. In short, that's pure advertising for the sport. Moreover, with GM, the sport is expected to grow, increasing revenues. Having their team, there is also less fear of General Motors getting rid of the team after just a few years, something that has regularly happened with private teams.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
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