The Andretti-Cadillac project under the microscope

If Andretti fails to secure a place on the grid in Formula 1 in the coming years, it will not be for lack of having tried everything.

After the failed takeover of Sauber in 2021, the team founded by 1978 world champion Mario Andretti is desperately trying to convince F1 and the existing teams to offer him a place alongside them. An idea that excites all motorsport fans but a little less the existing teams, frankly not decided to cut the revenue pie into 11 rather than 10.

Still, despite the reluctance of Toto wolff & Co., which the Andretti clan described as “European club” only “interested in their interests”, Michael, Mario's son, did not give up and continued to refine his project. Thursday January 6, he presented via virtual press conference an alliance with General Motors and more precisely Cadillac to convince the last skeptics. 

Aware of the appetite of Formula 1 and the teams for the American market, Andretti considered that an alliance with a US juggernaut would allow it to present itself as a 100% American team and bring everyone into agreement. The Andretti-Cadillac ticket in any case took the opportunity to respond favorably to the declaration of interest process launched by the FIA ​​under the leadership of its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. 

Herta still in the small papers

As for the project itself, after repeatedly repeating that his ambition was to be on the grid in 2024, Michael Andretti was more measured on Thursday, admitting not to know. “We will be on the grid when it makes sense” he commented. The presence, at a press conference, of Mark L. Reuss, the President of General Motors, suggested a huge commitment from Cadillac, but it would seem that the brand is also committed to IndyCar and Endurance does not have the ambition to arrive as an engine manufacturer.

The Andretti-Cadillac ticket soon on the grid?

The two men have in fact indicated that they were targeting, at least initially, an engine partnership, without specifying the identity of the engine manufacturer in question. Will it be Renault, with whom an agreement was reached during 2022 when Andretti went it alone? Does the presence of Cadillac in the equation reshuffle the cards? It seems that Honda, keen to make its return in 2026 and not necessarily with Red Bull, is also an option. 

And perhaps even the most logical. Andretti and Acura are in fact allies in IMSA, while there is a technological partnership between Cadillac and Honda on hybrids for production cars. When asked about this possibility, neither Reuss nor Andretti ruled out this possibility. It remains to be seen what level of real commitment Cadillac will have in the adventure.

Cadillac, not (yet?) an engine manufacturer 

Although there should not be a Cadillac engine, we can nevertheless imagine a different model of commitment as a simple title partner, a model chosen by Alfa Romeo with Sauber since 2018 for example. If the main factory will be that of Andretti, currently under construction and which should be completed around 2025 in Indiana, General Motors would put its American infrastructure at the service of the team, particularly in terms of aerodynamics and engine development. .

A European antenna would also be planned. The problem is that F1 would be more willing to make room on the grid for a truly committed manufacturer, particularly in terms of engines, while favoring the option of buying an already existing franchise. As for the drivers, Andretti has not changed his mind. The idea would be to have an American ride, and in this little game, it is always Colton Herta, also involved with the team in IndyCar, who holds the rope.

“We are confident that once the expression of interest is closed, with our great partnership with Cadillac, we have a very, very, very good chance of ticking every box and being able to be on the grid soon.”.

Among the Andrettis, despite the persistent reluctance of the main players (with the exception of the FIA), we remain optimistic!

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