By John Sturbin | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com

Andretti Global and General Motors _ American powerhouses in the automotive and motorsports sectors _ have announced their intention to pursue an opportunity to compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship.

GM would be represented by its Cadillac brand. The Andretti Cadillac team would be based in the United States with a support facility in the United Kingdom.

The Andretti Cadillac team is planning to submit an Expression of Interest when the FIA opens the formal process. If selected, the team is seeking to compete as soon as practical with at least one American driver.

“We are continuing to grow Andretti Global and its family of racing teams and always have our eyes on what’s next,” Michael Andretti, chairman/CEO, Andretti Global, said in a news release from Indianapolis. “I feel that we are well-suited to be a new team for Formula One and can bring value to the series and our partners and excitement for the fans.

“I’m proud to have GM and Cadillac alongside us as we pursue this goal. GM and Andretti share a legacy born out of the love of racing. We now have the opportunity to combine our motorsport passions and dedication to innovation to build a true American F1 bid. 

“Together, we will continue to follow procedures and steps put forth by the FIA during the evaluation process. In the meantime, we continue to optimistically prepare should we be fortunate enough to have Andretti Cadillac formally approved as a Formula One contender.”

As noted, this partnership will provide an opportunity for expanding the international reaches of both Andretti Global and GM. F1 has witnessed consistent growth globally during the past decade and most recently in the U.S. with 2023 races scheduled at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas; Miami and Las Vegas.

“General Motors is honored to team with Andretti Global on this historic moment in racing,” Mark Reuss, president, General Motors, said in a news release from Detroit. “We have a long, rich history in motorsports and engineering innovation, and we are thrilled with the prospect of pairing with Andretti Global to form an American F1 team that will help spur even more global interest in the series and the sport. 

“Cadillac and F1 both have growing global appeal. Our brand has a motorsports pedigree that’s more than a century in the making, and we would be proud to have the opportunity to bring our distinct American innovation and design to F1.”

Cadillac V-Series has established a legacy of success on-track in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge. Since 2017, Cadillac has been competing at the forefront of American sports car racing in IMSA, achieving numerous wins, podiums and championships with the Cadillac DPi-V.R. Cadillac will continue in sports car racing with the all-new hybrid Cadillac V-LMDh, which will compete globally in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship.  

Andretti Global is an international racing enterprise and parent company to Andretti Autosport and other Andretti racing ventures. Andretti racing teams currently compete in seven different top-tier series worldwide and have found success in each. Andretti and GM last paired for the return of Chevrolet to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2012, together capturing nine wins across two seasons. The pairing additionally claimed the INDYCAR Driver, Team and Manufacturer titles in 2012.

 

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