Finally, on Monday, Formula 1 announced that it will increase the size of its grid in 2026 to accommodate an American team that is linked with General Motors.
“As the highest level of motorsport, Formula One requires innovation and excellence that pushes the envelope. “Joining the world’s top racing series is an honor for General Motors and Cadillac, and we’re dedicated to competing with integrity and passion to elevate the sport for race fans worldwide,” stated GM President Mark Reuss. “This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”
The decision puts an end to years of squabbling that led to a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Liberty Media, the Colorado-based company that owns the commercial rights to Formula One, refused to sanction the team that Michael Andretti founded.
Dan Towriss and Mark Walter, the new majority owners of Andretti Global, will operate the 11th team, which will be named Cadillac F1, after Andretti resigned as head of his eponymous firm in September. Until GM has a Cadillac engine ready for racing in time for the 2028 season, the team will run Ferrari engines for the first two years.
As the president and CEO of Group 1001, Towriss joined the motorsports industry through Andretti’s IndyCar team after becoming a sponsor on the financial savings website Gainbridge. With ownership shares in both Wayne Taylor Racing’s sports car squad and Spire Motorsports’ NASCAR team, Towriss is now a significant figure in the motorsports industry.
Walter is the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the World Series champions, and Chelsea, a Premier League team. He also serves as the CEO of the financial services company Guggenheim Partners.
“We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1,” Towriss stated. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.”
The 1978 Formula One world champion Mario Andretti will serve as a Cadillac F1 ambassador. However, given that Mario has reduced his engagement with Andretti Global, his son Michael will not hold an official position with the company.
Michael Andretti wrote on social media, “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team.””I congratulate everyone engaged on this significant next step and am incredibly proud of the hard work they have put in. “I’ll be rooting for you.”
To avoid interfering with the Liberty Media portfolio’s flagship event, the permission, which had been in the works for weeks, was postponed until after last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. The race on Saturday night, the third and last leg in the United States for the world’s premier motorsports series, saw Max Verstappen win his fourth straight title.
In Formula One, grid extension is rare and frequently ineffective. For the first time since 1995, the grid should have had 13 teams and 26 cars after four teams were allowed participation in 2010. By 2017, three of the teams had disappeared, while one never reached the grid.
California industrialist Gene Haas owns the only American team on the current Formula One grid, however it is not very competitive and does not field American drivers. To field a genuinely American squad with American drivers was Andretti’s dream.
The battle to include this team has been ongoing for more than three years, and although the FIA, the F1 governing authority, approved the application, F1 initially rejected it. Due to the dilution of prize money and the billions of dollars they have already invested in the series, the current ten teams, who have no say in the matter, were also largely against expansion.
In 2020, Andretti made an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the current Sauber squad. He then collaborated with GM, the country’s top-selling manufacturer, and applied for grid expansion. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid.
“General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners,” Ben Sulayem remarked on Monday. “I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application.”
Despite the FIA’s acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn’t interested in Andretti but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete.
“Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process.”
Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry.
“With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport,” Maffei said. “We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1.”
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