160 replies to this topic

[KWSN - DSM]

After much handwringing and arguments of questionable merit accepting an 11th team onto the grid, GM has been allowed to join effectively the 2026 season.

 

Or possibly should be almost agreed, currently reported as

 

“Formula 1 has agreed a deal in principle with General Motors and its Cadillac brand to enter the series in 2026 as an 11th team.”

 

The GM entry will be the moribund Andretti application, presumably housed at the Andretti-commissioned premises in the UK. For all intents and purposes except for the team name, it will be the Andretti entry—this obviously does not count the fact that Andretti has sold the majority of his team.

 

GM intends to enter as both team and engine manufacturer; however, in the first two or three seasons, it will be powered by one of the current confirmed engines for 2026.

 

Of immediate interest and debate will be who will be the drivers. Most seem to see Colton Herta as the prime candidate. However, questions about his having or not having a Super license float about, and more to the point, it is having one in 2026 that matters.

 

Links:

 

https://www.formula1...uwHwXkr4efkpnhc

 

https://www.motorspo...-2026/10676504/

 

US media

 

https://www.nbcnews....eric-rcna181560

 

https://www.nytimes....-joins-f1-2026/

 

https://abcnews.go.c...ry?id=116212562

[917k]

I guess I can understand why Michael stood back from the F1 effort, but why from the entire operation? (ICS, IMSA etc)

Edited by 917k, Yesterday, 01:06.

[teejay]

Sanity prevails. 

 

Over the moon. 

[KWSN - DSM]

So the 2026 will in all other than name be the entry denied Andretti, will be interesting how much egg will be on the metaphorical face of Liberty and the other teams - I would have liked Newey to have waited until now, and then signed with GM.

[arrysen]

Onwards and upwards from here on. GM is taking on a lot - F1 is at a whole other level to anything it has done previously with motor sport, but it can rise to the occasion. To quote one of GM's favourite "sons" here in Australia, the late, great Peter Brock "bite off more than you can chew and then chew like hell". 

 

With the recruitment of experienced F1 people at the Silverstone base (which I guess may need to be expanded) and good powertrain people inside GM's racing division, along with quality tools and resources such as supercomputer power, CFD & wind tunnels, the GM effort might just be pretty spectacular. 

 

Let's see how it goes but for sure will provide plenty of additional interest. Now, how about a BWS sponsorship deal and get those Caddy F1 cars pink?

[loki]

Hate to say I told you so….

BAH! Who am I kidding? How shall I prepare this crow?

[loki]

Onwards and upwards from here on. GM is taking on a lot - F1 is at a whole other level to anything it has done previously with motor sport, but it can rise to the occasion. To quote one of GM's favourite "sons" here in Australia, the late, great Peter Brock "bite off more than you can chew and then chew like hell".

With the recruitment of experienced F1 people at the Silverstone base (which I guess may need to be expanded) and good powertrain people inside GM's racing division, along with quality tools and resources such as supercomputer power, CFD & wind tunnels, the GM effort might just be pretty spectacular.

Let's see how it goes but for sure will provide plenty of additional interest. Now, how about a BWS sponsorship deal and get those Caddy F1 cars pink?

Execution is TWG Global. GM only does engineering support in house. Joe White and Nick Chester have much to do.

Edited by loki, Yesterday, 03:30.

[loki]

TWG Global is to operating partner according to the GM press release.

https://news.cadilla...ov/1125-f1.html

[VPOLIVER]

Since the General Motors/Cadillac f1 project is in partnership with TWG Global, i suppose the main team´s structure will have:

 

Otmar Szafnauer (BAR, Honda, Force India and Alpine teams) as team principal

Pat Symmonds (Renault, McLaren) as Chief Technical Officer

Rob White (Cosworth, Ford, Renault/Alpine) as Chief Operating Officer

Nick Chester (Renault, Mercedes FE) as technical director

John McQuilliam (Jordan, Manor, Prodrive) as chief designer

Jon Tomlinson (Jordan, Renault, Williams, Mercedes) as head of Aero

Mario Andretti as Director and Advisor for Cadillac F1 team

[Wuzak]

If the new team do get a deal to run Ferrari PUs in 2026 and 2027, will they have Ferrari stickers on them?

 

I believe that the name Ferrari is absent from both Haas and Sauber liveries.

 

But with the new team being branded as a major manufacturer, will Ferrari want their names on the engine cover?

[teejay]

If the new team do get a deal to run Ferrari PUs in 2026 and 2027, will they have Ferrari stickers on them?

 

I believe that the name Ferrari is absent from both Haas and Sauber liveries.

 

But with the new team being branded as a major manufacturer, will Ferrari want their names on the engine cover?

 

Probably not - I mean GM Andretti Ferrari Cadillac is a weird team title, especially if it's a stop gap. 

 

More likely to get Honda IMHO.

[arrysen]

Execution is TEG Global. GM only does engineering support in house. Joe White and Nick Chester have much to do.

That's what I'd expect - TWG Global getting it done at Silverstone with access to GM resources such as supercomputer etc. I'll take your Joe White and Nick Chester and raise you Pat Symonds, John McQuilliam & Jon Tomlinson - plus the many others coming on board. Selection of Team Principal still to come as well, so interesting times ahead.

[rjtart]

I am thrilled to see a new team joining the grid. But at the same time, saddened to see Michael Andretti squeezed out. Clearly, no new team will ever again be admitted without manufacturer backing.
I miss the days when F1 teams were founded by people with a passion for the sport, rather than corporations who see it as a marketing tool.

[404KF2]

Nice.

[AustinF1]

I am thrilled to see a new team joining the grid. But at the same time, saddened to see Michael Andretti squeezed out. Clearly, no new team will ever again be admitted without manufacturer backing.
I miss the days when F1 teams were founded by people with a passion for the sport, rather than corporations who see it as a marketing tool.

Yeah it'd be nice to see a new TP on the grid imho, named Michael Andretti, not Otmar.

[MikeTekRacing]

Yeah it'd be nice to see a new TP on the grid imho, named Michael Andretti, not Otmar.

Teams are free to hire him if they think he’s strong

[Wuzak]

Probably not - I mean GM Andretti Ferrari Cadillac is a weird team title, especially if it's a stop gap. 

 

More likely to get Honda IMHO.

 

Well, it would probably be Cadillac-Ferrari, not the way you put it.

 

Even if the Andretti name and GM were included in the name it would likely be GM-Cadillac Andretti - Ferrari on the entry, since the PU supplier is named last.

 

And there have been reports that Ferrari are willing to supply , since they are losing a third team in 2026.

[JL14]

Will this mean Bottas is back for 2026?

They will need an experienced driver, and marketing wise Bottas could do very well with the Americans.

[loki]

The announced name of the team according to the GM press release is Cadillac Formula 1 team.  Doubtful whomever the stopgap engine supplier is will be in the name.  On the entry, sure.  In the branding, I don’t see it.

 

Warming up some popcorn to read the mental gymnastics ol’ Joe will go through after he was certain it wouldn’t happen.

[loki]

Will this mean Bottas is back for 2026?

They will need an experienced driver, and marketing wise Bottas could do very well with the Americans.

Interesting.  How so do you think?  I like him and he’d be an asset I don’t see how he’d fit better culturally than anyone else.  Growing team, steady hand, tons of experience.  That alone is a good fit.  Plus he seems like a good bloke.

[BarryinIN]

I wanted this so bad that I should be happy, but I’m so angry over Michael Andretti getting squeezed out. I’m certainly not a Michael Andretti fan at all, and in actuality root for his failure more than anything.
But not this.
He was treated terribly. Yeah, yeah, it’s big boy game and all that, but I’m not seeing a point for the snub aside from simple spite, and that’s not very big boy.

As much as I wanted a (real) US team, the situation is not making me want to start cheering.

[JimmyClark]

Great news. And given they are already working on the 2026 car, which current teams can't do until 2025, they might surprise...

[loki]

I wanted this so bad that I should be happy, but I’m so angry over Michael Andretti getting squeezed out. I’m certainly not a Michael Andretti fan at all, and in actuality root for his failure more than anything.
But not this.
He was treated terribly. Yeah, yeah, it’s big boy game and all that, but I’m not seeing a point for the snub aside from simple spite, and that’s not very big boy.

As much as I wanted a (real) US team, the situation is not making me want to start cheering.

I hear you.  They threw him under the bus.  The whole “GM is more involved now” line is bullshit.  100%.  Noble has a story on the front page here that is spouting that propaganda.  Nothing has changed in the pitch except Micheal isn’t involved and the use of the Andretti Global parent company name.  Window dressing.  This was a way for them to save face.  And not get hammered for conspiracy.  He did nothing different Wolfe, Horner or the others would have.  The difference is he said it straight up while they’re passive aggressive.  He must be crushed.   I would be.

[Nemo1965]

I hear you. They threw him under the bus. The whole “GM is more involved now” line is bullshit. 100%. Noble has a story on the front page here that is spouting that propaganda. Nothing has changed in the pitch except Micheal isn’t involved and the use of the Andretti Global parent company name. Window dressing. This was a way for them to save face. And not get hammered for conspiracy. He did nothing different Wolfe, Horner or the others would have. The difference is he said it straight up while they’re passive aggressive. He must be crushed. I would be.

Yeah, I saw the same falsifying of history on Dutch newsstreams. I think we as fans just have to grind our teeth, accept it and know we know better. Good news is the Andrettis genes are excellent; Mario’s grandfather reached 100, and he was completely lucid until the last day. Mario often told the story that his ‘nonno’ just sat down on in the sun on his last day, closed his eyes and started sleeping the long sleep. So hopefully we can see and Mario for at least ten years at every grid walk when the Andretti-team is there.

[Henri Greuter]

Considering the entry fee to join the club......

 

I wonder how the Indycar world and the NASCAR world wil think about GM pumping millions in an F1 adventure while that money could have helped Indycar in particular....

[loki]

Considering the entry fee to join the club......

 

I wonder how the Indycar world and the NASCAR world wil think about GM pumping millions in an F1 adventure while that money could have helped Indycar in particular....

It’s up to the Frances and Roger Penske to prove the value of their respective series.  They want to sell Caddys not subsidize a racing series.  With TWG GM has the factory IMSA team, factory F1 team and a Cup team though fledgling.

[kumo7]

GM on the grid. All right. 

[RedRabbit]

Disappointed it isn't Andretti Cadillac. Just feel like the Andretti name fits into F1 quite nicely alongside Williams and McLaren. There's that similar motorsport history and heritage attached.

[ATM]

Sad to see it took so long (and so many dirty moves, DOJ, Andretti squeeze, word weaseling etc etc etc) to get this done, when it could have been straightforward and just respecting the rules...but în the end it's better than having just 10 teams. Not a big fan of GM up to now, as manufacturers go, but I think I'll root for them just because of the way they've been handled, în stark contrast to Audi.

Edited by ATM, Yesterday, 08:17.

[GlenWatkins]

Yeah, I saw the same falsifying of history on Dutch newsstreams. I think we as fans just have to grind our teeth, accept it and know we know better. Good news is the Andrettis genes are excellent; Mario’s grandfather reached 100, and he was completely lucid until the last day. Mario often told the story that his ‘nonno’ just sat down on in the sun on his last day, closed his eyes and started sleeping the long sleep. So hopefully we can see and Mario for at least ten years at every grid walk when the Andretti-team is there.

I want to see him in a Cadillac 2 seater giving rides to VIPs!  

[Joseki]

Probably not - I mean GM Andretti Ferrari Cadillac is a weird team title, especially if it's a stop gap. 

 

More likely to get Honda IMHO.

AP News reported Cadillac will run Ferrari PU, and it makes sense as Audi will switch to their own PU from 2026.

[jonklug]

The absolute best news F1 could possibly get. Now all that remains is that Sonny Hayes recovers after his crash in Las Vegas and hopefully makes the switch to Cadillac for 2026! The old dog still has some fight in him yet! 

[pdac]

Hate to say I told you so….

BAH! Who am I kidding? How shall I prepare this crow?

 

Indeed. I was wrong. I thought F1 did not want another team, even if it were a big manufacturer. But they have made space for GM. They didn't want Andretti on board, but they clearly do want GM and both sides have adapted to make that happen.

Edited by pdac, Yesterday, 09:00.

[DevilDare]

Nice.

 

Will be off the grid by the new decade though.

[Nemo1965]

I want to see him in a Cadillac 2 seater giving rides to VIPs!  

 

He did that in Austin, right? Not even long ago? I remember seeing in the 80's a photo of Mario and Aldo (his twin-brother) and their dad. It was just like the mother had nothing to do with the propagation! The same head and the same head of hair, and one just a little bit older.

[GlenWatkins]

Hurray, we have an 11th team!  Once GM got involved I knew that they would get in.  That and GM never stopped PU development.  An can we please have Michael as TP, just to see the paddock meltdown?

 

Good article from IndyStar:

 

https://www.indystar...er/76575389007/

[Myrvold]

As Andretti were planning to use Renault-engines when they first joined in, is it possible that Liberty and the teams in a way ended up losing Renault in their "we don't want a new team" thing? 

[absinthedude]

Disappointed it isn't Andretti Cadillac. Just feel like the Andretti name fits into F1 quite nicely alongside Williams and McLaren. There's that similar motorsport history and heritage attached.

 

Got to agree. The behaviour by FOM/Liberty and the teams was utterly disgusting. This is not F1. 

[RedRabbit]

AP News reported Cadillac will run Ferrari PU, and it makes sense as Audi will switch to their own PU from 2026.

A manufacturer should be using their own engine. An Andretti entry using a Ferrari unit sounds better than a Cadillac entry using a Ferrari unit.

F1 went about this the wrong way.

[Stephane]

Got to agree. The behaviour by FOM/Liberty and the teams was utterly disgusting. This is not F1. 

 

I'd say this is the F1 of now. Maybe it's sad, but that's where we are.

[Nemo1965]

Got to agree. The behaviour by FOM/Liberty and the teams was utterly disgusting. This is not F1. 

 

I found this cartoon comforting, if you feel bad about how the assholes win almost everything everytime.

 

[New Britain]

A manufacturer should be using their own engine. An Andretti entry using a Ferrari unit sounds better than a Cadillac entry using a Ferrari unit.

F1 went about this the wrong way.

McLaren and Aston Martin are manufacturers, as is Alpine. Should they too be required to run their own PUs?

[Anja]

As Andretti were planning to use Renault-engines when they first joined in, is it possible that Liberty and the teams in a way ended up losing Renault in their "we don't want a new team" thing? 

 

Quite possible as having no customer teams was definitely a part of the problem for Renault, as they admitted themselves.

Edited by Anja, Yesterday, 10:00.

[New Britain]

I'd say this is the F1 of now. Maybe it's sad, but that's where we are.

Exactly. Mosley was a brilliant tactician, but not much of a strategist. When he ****d the FIA by giving Bernie the Commercial Rights for 15% of their market value, that was going to work only as long as the Rights were controlled by a party that understood and cared about motor racing. Although the Rights went through a few sets of different hands, Bernie continued to be in effective control of how the CRH treated the sport. If confronted with the same set of Andretti-application facts, I'm confident that Bernie would have told the teams to foxtrot oscar - if they had even dared to voice an opinion in public before checking with him in the first place.
All that of course changed when Liberty stepped in and almost immediately showed Bernie the door. To Malone and Maffei, Formula One - the sport, the legacy, the competitors, the fans - are just pieces to be exploited.

[Ruusperi]

I am thrilled to see a new team joining the grid. But at the same time, saddened to see Michael Andretti squeezed out. Clearly, no new team will ever again be admitted without manufacturer backing.
I miss the days when F1 teams were founded by people with a passion for the sport, rather than corporations who see it as a marketing tool.

My word exactly. I wanna support small teams and privateers, like Minardi or Jordan, teams that are a result of love for pure motorsport and not money-making corporate business. The same reason why I wanna see tracks like Magny-Cours or Mugello that smell like petrol and manure, and not celebrity filled nightclub tracks like Las Vegas or Singapore.

[FullThrottleF1]

Nice.

Will be off the grid by the new decade though.

Give over.

[mirrorboy]

Interesting decision regarding the PU... I understand that they prefer a well known supplier over Honda, who is a newcomer (partially) and will be a big question mark.

 

From Honda's perspective tho, would they want to supply a second team, or is it better for them to focus on a single team (AM)? 

[FullThrottleF1]

My word exactly. I wanna support small teams and privateers, like Minardi or Jordan, teams that are a result of love for pure motorsport and not money-making corporate business. The same reason why I wanna see tracks like Magny-Cours or Mugello that smell like petrol and manure, and not celebrity filled nightclub tracks like Las Vegas or Singapore.

Those days died in the 90s. For the past 25 years it been the same, the only break in that was the 2010 entries

[SpeedRacer`]

It doesn't really make sense that it "absolutely, must, 100%!!111" be a works deal to be accepted but let's be grateful they're in.

 

I mean, the team about to win the constructors aren't even a works team FFS...

 

I hope, over time, they gradually morph back into Andretti  

[jonpollak]

Give over.

What does this phrase mean please?
My Mother in-law used it and I heard it on Corrie but that’s about it.

Do tell.
Jp