Cadillac logo. (Photo by Antoine Antoniol/Getty Images)
Detroit-based General Motors Co. wants to get into Formula One, the world’s most prestigious global racing series, with the help of the son of a racing legend and utilizing its Cadillac brand.
Andretti Racing, headed by Michael Andretti, is seeking to have a new F1 team.
For the Andretti clan, F1 is personal. Mario Andretti, Michael’s father, was the F1 driving champion in 1978. Michael Andretti tried to follow in his father’s F1 footsteps in the 1990s. It didn’t work out.
Michael Andretti was successful as an open-wheel racing driver in the United States. But he never won an Indianapolis 500 race. His father only won a single Indy 500 in 1969 despite ample successful results elsewhere.
Michael Andretti has emerged as a major team owner in the IndyCar series. The younger Andretti intends to be a team owner in F1.
For now, that’s uncertain. On Tuesday, GM said it had “formally registered with the FIA as a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer starting in the 2028 season.”
“We are thrilled that our new Andretti Cadillac F1 entry will be powered by a GM power unit,” GM president Mark Reuss said in a statement. “With our deep engineering and racing expertise, we’re confident we’ll develop a successful power unit for the series, and position Andretti Cadillac as a true works team. We will run with the very best, at the highest levels, with passion and integrity that will help elevate the sport for race fans around the world.”
F1, which has a major presence in Europe, wants to expand its presence in the United States. This year, there will be three races in the U.S.
GM rival Ford Motor Co. formerly owned an F1 team before exiting the sport. In February, Ford said it was entering into a partnership with the Red Bull F1 team. Ford has a long racing heritage, going back to 2001 when Henry Ford won a race and used the winnings to help found the automaker that bears his name.
GM wants to get a piece of the action. The Andretti clan wants to be a force in F1 again. We’ll see how it turns out.
