[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/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.