Michael Andretti let it be known early on that he would leave no stone unturned in his quest to put a team onto the Formula One grid. Every hurdle he faced, he cleared. With news in the motorsports world about Andretti Global signing a partnership with General Motors to bring the Cadillac marque to F1, it appears he has cleared the final hurdle of bringing a new manufacturer to the series — in other words, the Yanks are coming.
Following FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem's tweet that he had asked the governing body to look into an expansion of the grid from a week ago, GM and Andretti released a joint statement that they are seeking an entry as Andretti Cadillac.
Proud to announce our Andretti Global partnership with GM @Cadillac as we pursue the opportunity to compete in the @FIA @F1 World Championship. #CadillacVSeries #AllAndretti pic.twitter.com/c1juJtra11
— Michael Andretti (@michaelandretti) January 5, 2023
"Today's news from the United States is further proof of the popularity and growth of the FIA Formula One World Championship under the FIA's stewardship," a FIA spokesman told Racer. "It is particularly pleasing to have interest from two iconic brands such as General Motors Cadillac and Andretti Global."
The team would be based out of the United States — Andretti Global just broke ground on a 575,000-square foot facility in Fishers, Indiana — but also have a support HQ in the United Kingdom. It will be GM's first entry into the world of Formula One racing, and a return of the sport for the Andretti family. Michael raced in the series in 1993 for McLaren before returning to North America's CART series. His father, Mario, won the F1 title in 1979 driving for Team Lotus, and is one of two U.S. champions the sport has seen along with Phil Hill in 1961.
The team will still need to be approved by the FIA, F1 and the teams, a vetting process that may take several months. Once approved, it is thought that the target for Andretti Cadillac would be the 2026 season when new power units are expected to make their debut, and they will not be the only newcomer, as Audi has previously stated they will assume ownership of Sauber to field a works team in 2026.
"There is great interest in the F1 project at this time with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others," read a statement from F1 on the Andretti announcement. "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."
