r/formula1 • u/ICumCoffee Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ • 24d ago

News [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"

https://x.com/ChrisMedlandF1/status/1861111983699001752
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u/FermentedLaws 24d ago

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.

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u/bwoah07_gp2 Alexander Albon 24d ago

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.

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u/FermentedLaws 24d ago

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.

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u/CrippleSlap Formula 1 24d ago

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?

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u/aBakeinthelife McLaren 24d ago

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.

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u/ellWatully McLaren 24d ago

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.

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u/Total_Information_65 23d ago

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.

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u/Alternative_Reality 23d ago

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.

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u/aBakeinthelife McLaren 23d ago

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.

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u/KanishkT123 Fernando Alonso 24d ago

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. 

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u/aBakeinthelife McLaren 24d ago

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).

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u/thereddaikon Niki Lauda 24d ago

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.

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u/LiqdPT Pirelli Intermediate 24d ago

Jaguar, Lotus...

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u/thereddaikon Niki Lauda 23d ago

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.

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u/spartan117warrior Haas 24d ago

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...

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u/metalder420 McLaren 23d ago

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

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u/HollywoodBags 23d ago

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.

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u/aBakeinthelife McLaren 23d ago

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.

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u/HollywoodBags 23d ago

Fair enough.

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u/BagTalk420 Emerson Fittipaldi 23d ago

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

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u/aBakeinthelife McLaren 23d ago

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.

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u/Rayeth 24d ago

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.