The back-and-forth between Andretti, General Motors-Cadillac, and F1
After months of back-and-forth, tensions, and controversies, as well as a rebranding and management changes, the outcome has finally been achieved: starting from the 2026 season, there will be an eleventh team in Formula 1. It won’t officially be the much-discussed Andretti team but rather General Motors, which has taken control of the project and will compete in F1 under the Cadillac brand. However, for Mario Andretti, little has changed. The 1978 world champion, and patriarch of one of the most famous and influential families in motorsport, sees the project as his own creation. And it doesn’t matter if the team won’t bear his surname—at 84 years old, the Italian-American will still sit on the board of directors.
“In a way,” Andretti revealed in an interview with the German magazine *Auto Motor und Sport*, “this project is also my creation. But I’m not looking for a permanent position or a job that ties me down every day. I’m a driver, and I never wanted to be a team owner. After my retirement, I received many offers to join teams, and I always said no. I just want to have a base in the paddock where I can be present.”
Was Michael Andretti’s step back decisive?
His son Michael, on the other hand, did found and manage a team for many years. He raced in F1 with McLaren in 1993 but found greater success and satisfaction in “his” America. He ran the Andretti team for years until the end of 2024, when he stepped back and handed control of the operation to his partner Dan Towriss, remaining involved only as a consultant. This retreat helped grease the wheels for F1 to accept Cadillac’s (formerly Andretti’s) entry, though a key factor may have been the U.S. Antitrust investigation, triggered by political pressure from Mario Andretti himself.
Andretti, millions of reasons to be satisfied
According to the family patriarch, his son’s decision was beneficial: “The goal was to bring an American team to the grid, and we achieved it. Michael is happy too, even though he withdrew from the project. He simply said, ‘If I’m the obstacle, then I’ll clear the way.’ Looking back, we certainly could have done some things better. But I only look forward, never backward. In the end, the only thing that matters is reaching the goal. The loss of the Andretti name? We cared about the cause, not the name. What’s important is that we succeeded. The project wouldn’t have existed without us, and without us, it wouldn’t have reached General Motors. Rejecting us would have been a huge mistake, and it wouldn’t have gone down well in America. This isn’t a bubble—it’s a long-term commitment.”
Beyond personal pride and family prestige, there is also a massive financial aspect at stake. GM will have to pay a significant sum to enter F1—reportedly $450 million—while the teams are pushing for an even higher anti-dilution fee, despite the current Concorde Agreement (set to expire this year and still awaiting renewal) stipulating only $200 million. However, the potential financial returns are substantial. Since the introduction of the budget cap, all teams have ended their seasons profitably, regardless of their position in the standings, not to mention the invaluable advertising and brand prestige benefits.
“Wherever I go,” Mario Andretti concluded, “people talk to me about the project and congratulate me. It’s absolutely crazy. Many of the Christmas cards I received this year said something like, ‘I’m so happy you made it into Formula 1.’ Maybe it has to do with the fact that the journey to get here was so tough. And now everyone is happy that the hard work has paid off.”
Andretti and the Cadillac team are now awaiting final approval from the FIA, which is widely considered a mere formality, to enter F1 from the 2026 season.
Leave a Reply