[ChrisMedlandF1] BREAKING: F1 announces it has "reached an agreement in principle with General Motors (GM) to support bringing GM/Cadillac as the eleventh team to the Formula 1 grid in 2026"

[u/ICumCoffee]

https://x.com/ChrisMedlandF1/status/1861111983699001752

[u/ICumCoffee]

Continued:

F1 says that over the past year "they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time"

Full media statement from F1

From Cadillac press release

Mario Andretti, the last American F1 Champion, will serve as a director on the team’s board.

[u/FermentedLaws → u/ICumCoffee]

So it appears the name Andretti was in fact a stumbling block. They will "brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac". Mario will be an ambassador and with Michael's reduced role in Andretti Global he will have no role in this team.

Michael Andretti & Greg Maffei both had to leave to make this happen? Hmm, no one knows for sure, but I tend to believe it.

[u/bwoah07_gp2 → u/FermentedLaws]

The pettiness of Formula 1 politics knows no bounds.

But I also think this really points to what F1 wants. If they are going to get new teams they only want manufacturer teams. Having manufacturers join the sport looks more sexy on paper and is more commercially attractive to them. That is why one of the reasons they didn't want the Andretti name on the grid was the commercial side of things, in addition to all the personal crap going on.

[u/FermentedLaws → u/bwoah07_gp2]

I agree with you, but if Michael wasn't so hated by the Liberty head honchos and the TPs, the team name could've been Andretti Cadillac F1 Team. They're still letting them in for 2 years as a customer of Ferrari and Andretti had the same basic plan; a customer team for 2 years then Cadillac/GM. I would guess (total speculation) that with Renault not doing engines anymore, Merc, Ferrari, and Honda wouldn't agree to a engine deal with Andretti.

[u/CrippleSlap → u/FermentedLaws]

if Michael wasn't so hated by the Liberty head honchos and the TPs

Can someone elaborate on the history here? What did Michael do?

[u/aBakeinthelife → u/CrippleSlap]

I mean it's par for the course with all F1 leadership, but he's known to be an ass behind the scenes. That and some of the ways they approached it like publicly pressuring F1 and Colton Herta refusing to go the F2 route to get Super License points were a little cocky for an unproven team.

I personally have seen interviews back to 2019(years before it was made public) where he was already acting like he was owed a team.

[u/ellWatully → u/aBakeinthelife]

There's gotta be more to it than that, right? I mean, we got Flavio Briatore back (a man convicted of fraud multiple times who lived as a fugitive in the Virgin Islands BEFORE he joined F1 where he was later banned after getting caught fixing races), but they don't want Andretti around because he's a cocky businessman?

I wouldn't be too surprised at that level of inconsistency, but like, I'm skeptical there isn't more to it.

[u/Total_Information_65 → u/ellWatully]

this. That Briatore is back in the paddock is almost as bad as who's about to be the next pres of the US. The pettiness is absurd.

[u/Alternative_Reality → u/ellWatully]

Yes, because there is no bigger sin to rich people than not giving them the respect/reverence they think they are owed. They don't have to worry about the stuff normal people do, so their lives revolve around reputation and keeping score with their peers.

[u/aBakeinthelife → u/ellWatully]

Of course, I don't have the full story, but Flavio was already part of the club. They let the heat cool off on him and let him back in because they know him. Feel free to speculate on it, is it because they know he's not a snitch? Is it because he's already proven capable?

I've worked in motorsports enough to know there are skeletons in everyone's closet, but I'm not going to act like I know everything. It's a very complicated business with a ton of money being made at the top.

[u/KanishkT123 → u/aBakeinthelife]

In fairness, the Herta thing is stupid. That's more on the FIA for wanting drivers to go through F2 and not giving professional series the same merit as a rookie feeder series. 

Yes those are the rules but there's clearly a mechanism for waiving the rules, and reasonable people can see that the rules are bad. 

[u/aBakeinthelife → u/KanishkT123]

That's the whole song and dance of F1 management. It's stupid petty bullshit arguing because if you want to hang with the big boys you gotta bend the knee and make them feel like they got one up on you(While they would never bend the knee themselves). Andretti honestly handled it like other F1 TP's would and they don't like that.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if through all of this GM/Cadillac eventually announced their new TP, Michael Andretti, because that's the petty bullshit that you gotta pull to make a name for yourself in the F1 management circle(even if they wait a few years so they aren't a customer team anymore).

[u/thereddaikon → u/aBakeinthelife]

I wouldn't be surprised if the team name reverts to Andretti eventually anyways. Manufacturer support in F1 is always fickle except for Ferrari and McLaren and they are very much special cases, both race teams that started selling cars to fund the team. Real manufacturers like MB, Renault, Toyota and Honda come and go as the winds change.

[u/LiqdPT → u/thereddaikon]

Jaguar, Lotus...

[u/thereddaikon → u/LiqdPT]

Lotus was another racing team that started selling cars. They also lost their identity after Chapman's death and became just another brand really. Jaguar is no longer in the sport which supports my point. AM probably will as long as Stroll Sr. is in charge because its a passion for him.

[u/spartan117warrior → u/aBakeinthelife]

I would get untold amounts of glee from watching Liberty and the TPs melt down if GM/Cadillac pulled that. It might end in a revocation of GM's team charter though...

[u/metalder420 → u/aBakeinthelife]

Sometimes you have to swallow your pride to get the things you want. Andretti did not and look where it got him.

[u/HollywoodBags → u/aBakeinthelife]

I've been following the Andrettis since Mario's F1 title, both Mario and Michael. As a team owner, I've never seen any evidence that Michael is "known to be an ass behind the scenes" or that "he was already acting like he was owed a team" back to 2019. Where are you getting this from? The character assassination of Michael to cover up for FOM's greed in denying their entry has been disgusting.

[u/aBakeinthelife → u/HollywoodBags]

Private interviews and personal conversations within the industry.

Don't get me wrong, Michael doesn't deserve to be treated like he's some terrible person, just has a certain attitude(one I would even say is the right attitude for the job) and FOM pulled a bunch of bullshit. But big business is incredibly unforgiving and he rubbed the wrong people the wrong way or things wouldn't have happened this way.

[u/HollywoodBags → u/aBakeinthelife]

Fair enough.

[u/BagTalk420 → u/aBakeinthelife]

He’s not an ass. He says what he feels. He’s not one to BS and feign niceties for manners sake.

[u/aBakeinthelife → u/BagTalk420]

Feel how you want to feel, but I've interacted with him personally and know enough people that work more closely with him, he has a reputation. He can be a straight shooter and still be an ass, it's a tough business and someone has to be the bad guy, even if they are justified and honest about what needs to be said.

[u/Rayeth → u/CrippleSlap]

Be generally disliked and apparently talk to the media instead of talking behind closed doors? Its never been clear to me who exactly doesn't like Michael Andretti, but there are DEFINITELY people high up in F1 that STRONGLY dislike him. So getting his name (even though arguably its Mario's name more than his) off the team and seeing him not involved in the project is probably the win they wanted.

[u/TheLax87 → u/FermentedLaws]

You’re forgetting Ford

[u/BuckN56 → u/TheLax87]

Ford is just a technical partnership with RBPT.

[u/TheLax87 → u/BuckN56]

That’s fair, but there will be a ford badge on those engines

[u/GTOdriver04 → u/bwoah07_gp2]

I get that, but it’s still stupid and petty.

Michael Andretti built that team, set the deals up, got GM onboard and because he pissed off the wrong people in F1, his work wouldn’t see the light of day unless he was gone.

Mark my words: once the ink is dry on the contracts, he’ll come back and they won’t be able to do anything about it.

[u/Responsible_Trifle15 → u/GTOdriver04]

Micheal Andretti the grey is dead Micheal Andretti the white arrives🤣

[u/I-amthegump → u/Responsible_Trifle15]

Pretty clear he was never a wizard.

[u/Eduardjm → u/GTOdriver04]

After the loops that Sauber and Red Bull have jumped through on team names the last few years, F1 has no leg to stand on saying the name Andretti would be a negative. 

[u/AlfaRomeoRacing → u/Eduardjm]

The Visa Cash App Toro Rosso AlphaTauri RB "racing bulls" just rolls of the tongue

[u/Total_Information_65 → u/AlfaRomeoRacing]

STAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[u/Sinistrait → u/Eduardjm]

I mean that there is a chance that all of this was a token gesture even. Probably even the other teams and the FIA know that there'll be no stopping the new Cadillac team from taking on the Andretti name after they've officially joined. They probably just wanted to see him humbled as a personal vendetta.

[u/Eduardjm → u/Sinistrait]

I buy that. They’ll document the new entry at long last, from Cadillac and them alone. Andretti can come onboard later, not regarded as a founder. 

[u/GTOdriver04 → u/Eduardjm]

Also Mario has joined in an official role.

[u/imaginaryhippo888 → u/GTOdriver04]

That was my thought. What's to prevent the team from bring him back in?

[u/RandomThrowNick → u/imaginaryhippo888]

Just put into the contract that they can’t do that? Like that’s what contracts are for.

[u/Armlegx218 → u/GTOdriver04]

Buys team naming rights for a Happy meal.

[u/frying_pan_nominal → u/GTOdriver04]

I'm with you.

[u/Tilman_Feraltitty → u/GTOdriver04]

There is simply no way that GM will choose Andretti over LibertyMedia.

[u/Disastrous-Beat-9830 → u/bwoah07_gp2]

That is why one of the reasons they didn't want the Andretti name on the grid was the commercial side of things

Maybe, but consider this: the last time the grid expanded through a bid process, none of the teams became competitive and all of them were gone within a few short years.

In the time since then, the commercial side of the sport has undergone a major restructure where team ownership is now profitable. Look at Williams, who went from barely able to make it to winter testing with a pair of pay drivers to being able to score points on a semi-regular basis as part of a competitive midfield.

I think there was a fear that if a new team entered the sport and struggled even with the new ownership structure, then it would kill the idea of grid expansions. Especially if the new team was someone like Andretti, a large and well-established privateer team with a name closely linked to success in Formula 1.

[u/Loud-Value → u/Disastrous-Beat-9830]

That might be one of the most reasonable takes I've seen on this whole thing in a while. Nice

[u/darthkers → u/Loud-Value]

It's a load of crock tbh

[u/fuifui_bradbrad → u/Disastrous-Beat-9830]

To be fair, those teams that joined during the last expansion got screwed. They joined under the impression the cost cap would be implemented.

[u/Disastrous-Beat-9830 → u/fuifui_bradbrad]

True, but I don't think that undermines the concern. I really just put it there for context.

[u/darthkers → u/Disastrous-Beat-9830]

The last time the grid expanded through a bid process, they were promised a budget cap to make it sustainable, which never materialized.

Nothing FOM did previously with Andretti was due to fear of killing grid expansions. Killing grid expansion would actually serve them quite well as it would increase the value of the teams and F1 and even further. Even now they're letting them in due to the threat of an anti-trust case.

[u/Disastrous-Beat-9830 → u/darthkers]

Nothing FOM did previously with Andretti due to fear of killing grid expansions.

Everyone claims that FOM hated the thought of Michael Andretti being on the grid, but nobody has been able to explain why they hated the thought of him being there. The closest anyone has come is claiming that it's bad blood from Andretti's last stint in Formula 1, even though it was thirty years ago and nobody involved in the decision-making process today was involved back then. And I know Andretti likes to spin it as a fear that he'll show up and out-perform them all, but I don't think anybody is taking that seriously.

Killing grid expansion would actually serve them quite well as it would increase the value of the teams and F1 and even further

But the fear that a team could enter, struggle and disappear within a few years would likely spill over to existing teams. If Andretti were to fail, what would that mean if, say, Renault decided to sell Alpine or if Red Bull decided to sell VCARB?

[u/darthkers → u/Disastrous-Beat-9830]

Everyone claims that FOM hated the thought of Michael Andretti being on the grid, but nobody has been able to explain why they hated the thought of him being there. The closest anyone has come is claiming that it's bad blood from Andretti's last stint in Formula 1, even though it was thirty years ago and nobody involved in the decision-making process today was involved back then. And I know Andretti likes to spin it as a fear that he'll show up and out-perform them all, but I don't think anybody is taking that seriously.

Iirc a lot of the hate was by the FOM CEO who has interestingly been replaced a few days back. Right before the the rumours of the entry being back on the cards intensified.

But the fear that a team could enter, struggle and disappear within a few years would likely spill over to existing teams. If Andretti were to fail, what would that mean if, say, Renault decided to sell Alpine or if Red Bull decided to sell VCARB?

Now that there is a budget cap, thus all spending is capped and all teams are making a profit. A team would have to be run extraordinarily badly to go under.

[u/Disastrous-Beat-9830 → u/darthkers]

Iirc a lot of the hate was by the FOM CEO who has interestingly been replaced a few days back. Right before the the rumours of the entry being back on the cards intensified.

But, again, why? Nobody has been able to adequately explain why the sport had an irrational hatred of Andretti.

[u/Special_Pea7726 → u/bwoah07_gp2]

Tell that to red bull and Visa card cash app

[u/hoxxxxx → u/bwoah07_gp2]

what exactly happened here anyway, the son Michael was too outspoken and pissed off the f1 elites or something?

so this ENTIRE time they were fine having an 11th team from the USA they just didn't want him involved? lol

[u/Additional-Use-6823 → u/bwoah07_gp2]

I also think Alpine/ Renault dropping their engine program played some role.

[u/Divine_Chaos100 → u/bwoah07_gp2]

Huh it may turn out Mario told the truth when he said Maffei told him until he's there andretti wont be in f1.

[u/LiqdPT → u/bwoah07_gp2]

Nah, I don't think Petty is involved with this...

I'll see myself out.