For so long, the messages were mixed.
Formula 1 turned down the Andretti Global project’s bid to join the 2026 grid back in January, and it was not a decision that came as a surprise to anyone within the paddock, or many outside it.
Stefano Domenicali and co had made clear that they felt 10 teams was the right number for the sport at this stage, but that there were enticing elements to the entry that had been lodged. The involvement of General Motors certainly caught the eye of both F1 and the rest of the teams, with Williams team principal James Vowles almost going as far as saying the team shouldn’t be allowed in but he’d like the GM partnership for himself.
But it was the level of that involvement, and the uncertainty regarding its future plans, that played a part in the Andretti Global bid being knocked back at the time. F1 made clear that the door wasn’t closed and that 2028 could well be an option, because at that stage GM was suggesting it would produce its own power unit.
The original entry involved Andretti wanting to use a Renault power unit supply in a partnership that could well have become long-term had GM decided against investing in its own F1 engine department. The idea of re-badging such an engine as a Cadillac did not sit well, even if F1 was not aware that Renault’s future participation could be in doubt.
A touch of skepticism over how serious the GM involvement would be was somewhat understandable, given the recent arrival of Ford in partnership with Red Bull. Christian Horner’s team has welcomed Ford support but been very specific about where it might want help, and is determined to do the majority of the power unit work itself.
To call it solely a sponsorship deal would be unfair, but it’s certainly not a Ford power unit being developed, and does not represent a commitment you could guarantee will still be made in five years’ time.
The idea that GM would build its own power unit was an attractive one, but what was to stop it saying it intended to – in order to help get the entry confirmed – and then exploring customer deals longer-term? That would have resulted in Andretti Global holding a prize asset in terms of the value of the 11th team, at a much lower investment than if there was a power unit project too.
None of that is to say it was ever the intention to pull such a move, but they were the scenarios that F1 was having to consider if it were going to expand the grid. Because F1 is big business, and while the existing teams were thinking with their selfish business hats on and not wanting to divide up the revenues 11 ways over 10, so too the Andretti Global bid – along with the others that made submissions to the FIA – was grounded in being financially viable and lucrative.
That remains the case with GM’s entry now, of course, but it holds greater value to the sport itself, too.
Attracting the largest car manufacturer in the world to enter a works team – as opposed to supporting an independent racing team’s entry – is a significant difference.
F1’s initial rejection of the then-Andretti Cadillac F1 team was widely painted as a rejection of Michael Andretti, however those with inside knowledge of the deal insist this is not the case. Motorsport Images
As brutal as it is to say, the Andretti name, as iconic as it is in North America and among global racing fans, does not have the same level of recognition around the world as General Motors or Cadillac.
What is likely to be a Ferrari power unit deal (although Honda is a fallback through the mandatory supply rules) will not be a re-badging, something F1 also deems important.
But in reality, very little has changed. The people behind the project are the same, even if the CEO of Andretti Global – Michael Andretti – has gone. Sources insist there was never anything personal against Michael and there were no suggestions he should not be involved in the bid, but one of the financiers, Dan Towriss, is now overseeing all of TWG Global’s motorsport activities that also include Wayne Taylor Racing and Spire Motorsports.
That’s a decision that was made by Towriss, GM and you’d very much imagine Mark Walter, who brings huge sporting ownership experience and even bigger funding.
But the technical setup is the same one that was approved by the FIA, with the same facilities and current personnel.
The Department of Justice’s investigation into potential anti-competitive practices clearly focused minds at F1, although it must be said it could have waited to see what the outcome was if it truly didn’t want an 11th team. Instead it pushed for it to be its ideal setup, and confirm the arrival of an extra power unit manufacturer to the grid after the departure of Renault.
There’s another aspect that hasn’t changed, either. And that’s that there still isn’t actually an entry for the Cadillac team…
Confirmation has to come from the FIA, and you’d expect that to be a formality. But while the new team is kept waiting, it is not privy to things like Pirelli tire data and open source materials because it is not yet an entrant.
At this point, what was already a strong bid now has even greater global clout, but includes the same team waiting to be given the final green light to start work as an proper F1 entrant.
Barring something extremely dramatic, this week’s announcement marked the no-going-back point from F1, even if it still has to iron out anti-dilution fees and certain logistics. But it was not the final approval, and so remains a situation where there’s a sense of limbo.
In that regard, while there has been a clear step forward and GM / Cadillac is coming to F1, some of the messages still remain mixed.
