Formula 1 has issued its response to Andretti’s plan to enter the series with Cadillac, adamant the American outfit will require its approval as well as the FIA’s.
Andretti revealed on Thursday that it had partnered with General Motors in a bid to join the F1 grid under the Cadillac brand in the future.
This comes just a few days after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he would be open to expanding the grid through a new formal process for potential new teams.
Andretti previously made clear of its intention to enter grand prix racing last year but it has yet to gain backing from existing teams or F1 itself.
The involvement of GM and Cadillac is likely to increase Andretti’s chances of securing an entry, but F1 has issued a statement insisting new entrants must meet the strict criteria and prove they are credible in the long term.
“There is great interest in the F1 project at this time with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others,” the statements reads, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
“We all want to ensure the championship remains credible and stable and any new entrant request will be assessed on criteria to meet those objectives by all the relevant stakeholders.
“Any new entrant request requires the agreement of both F1 and the FIA.”
Andretti and GM have not specified a date for when they hope to join the F1 grid, but its F1 project is already taking shape with a technical director lined up and engineers recruited.
Details of a potential engine partner have not been formally announced, but GM president Mark Reuss revealed there is an agreement in place with a current F1 engine manufacturer for its initial entry before it hopes to build its own power unit.
“We have a signed agreement with a power unit supplier to begin with,” he said. “And then, as we move forward, we bring a lot of our expertise to create things for the future as well.”
The identity of the manufacturer is unknown but it is suggested that Honda is the most likely engine partner given its ties with Andretti in Indycar and GM in the automotive industry.
Despite leaving F1 at the end of 2021, Honda has registered its interest in returning ahead of the new power unit regulations in 2026.
Another option that Andretti had been considering was Renault amid the French manufacturer’s desire to supply its power units to a customer team.
FIA president Sulayem has welcomed the Andretti-Cadillac tie-up but stressed due to protocols it would be many months before its F1 entry could be granted.
“It is particularly pleasing to have interest from two iconic brands such as General Motors Cadillac and Andretti Global,” Sulayem said.
“Any additional entries would build on the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 PU regulations among OEMs which has already attracted an entry from Audi.
“Any Expressions of Interest process will follow strict FIA protocol and will take several months.”
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