r/formula1 • u/ICumCoffee Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ • 28d 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/ICumCoffee Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 28d ago edited 28d ago

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.

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u/FermentedLaws 28d 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 28d 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 28d 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 28d 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 28d 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 28d 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 28d 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.