In a surprise move, Cadillac has announced that it plans to enter F1 in the coming years in partnership with motorsport giant Andretti Autosport. The two American companies plan to create a race team named Andretti Cadillac.
If these plans do play out, this would be the first time that General Motors (Cadillac’s parent company) will race in F1.
- F1 approval pending
- Team will prioritise hiring at least one American driver
Cadillac, Andretti’s F1 plans
The joint operation would be based in the US but have a ‘support facility’ in the UK, although no location for this has been given. Nor have the firms given any indication of when they plan to start racing, saying only that this announcement shows their shared “intent to pursue the opportunity to compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship”.
The move comes as F1’s influence continues to grow in the USA. The championship will visit Austin, Miami and Las Vegas in 2023 and already has a US-based team on the grid in the form of Haas.
Andretti and Cadillac said they will prioritise the appointment of at least one American driver if successful in their bid to compete.
F1: Andretti Cadillac entry still needs approval
Last year, Michael Andretti – son of Mario, the 1978 F1 champion and founder of the eponymous Andretti Global enterprise – voiced plans to enter F1 with his own team and Californian driver Colton Herta. But only this week has FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem opened the gateway to F1, putting out a call for expressions of interest from prospective new teams.
It is important to note, however, that Cadillac and Andretti have only announced their intention to join F1. In the aftermath of the announcement, F1 released a statement highlighting that any new entry will require approval from both the FIA and F1.
“There is great interest in the F1 project at this time with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others,” the statement says. "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.
New F1 teams
One already-confirmed new F1 entrant is Audi, which from 2026 will apply its branding to the car run by Swiss team Sauber, which is currently partnered with Alfa Romeo.
Sibling brand Porsche remains interested in entering the sport after scrapping plans to partner with Red Bull Racing.
Andretti Cadillac would use an engine supplied by a third party but with technical support from the two American outfits, which previously partnered to run the Chevrolet team in the 2012 Indycar Series, winning the driver, team and manufacturer titles.
Racing in F1 wouldn't affect Cadillac's efforts in endurance racing. The firm has raced successfully in the IMSA Sportscar Championship since 2017 and will take its efforts global this year, entering its new V-LMDh racer in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
GM president Mark Reuss said: "General Motors is honoured to team with Andretti Global on this historic moment in racing. We have a long, rich history in motorsports and engineering innovation, and we're thrilled with the prospect of pairing with Andretti Global to form an American F1 team that will help spur even more global interest in the series and the sport.
Also see:
2023 F1 grid: Here’s the confirmed driver line-up