Although Formula 1 is currently opposed to Andretti entering Formula 1 in the near future, partner General Motors does not want to give up on the project
Andretti will not be allowed to enter Formula 1 for the time being. What many had already expected was officially confirmed by the premier class at the end of January. A few weeks later, Andretti’s partner General Motors has now also commented on the cancellation of Formula 1 for the first time
Jim Campbell, who is responsible for motorsport at General Motors, emphasizes that they still believe in the project. “We believe that with Andretti and Cadillac we are in a position to put together a competitive team,” says Campbell.
“We’re not saying it’s easy, but we have examples in the history of both our organizations where we’ve been successful in other motorsport categories, and that applies to Cadillac and Andretti,” he emphasized, explaining that work on the project would continue despite the cancellation.
The plan was actually for Andretti to initially enter Formula 1 with a customer engine branded as a Cadillac, before General Motors itself would have entered the premier class as a genuine engine manufacturer from 2028 onwards.
Why GM doesn’t build its own engine sooner
However, Formula 1 put a stop to at least the first part of the plan by canceling it in January. However, they left the door open and explained that they would reassess the situation from 2028 if GM really did build its own engine in the future.
In this context, Campbell also explains why they did not simply enter Formula 1 as an engine manufacturer earlier: “When you sign up as a power unit [manufacturer], there is a deadline for that, and for us that was last June for 2028. “
Therefore, it is not possible to support Andretti with its own engine any earlier. However, Campbell emphasizes once again that, from his own point of view, there is no reason to change anything about the current plans.
“We believe in the application that we submitted,” he clarifies and reminds us: “The FIA examined the application in comparison to other applicants and then gave our application a vote of confidence and approval. “
GM emphasizes: Would like to talk to the FOM
“And in that application, we made clear the capabilities of both Andretti as a race team and Cadillac as a manufacturer […],” Campbell said. In fact, last year several projects submitted an application to the FIA for a Formula 1 starting place.
However, only Andretti-Cadillac received approval. Here, the project only failed during a further review by Formula 1 itself – allegedly due to an email invitation from FOM for a personal meeting that ended up in Andretti’s spam folder.
“We have requested a follow-up meeting with FOM,” emphasized Campbell, after Andretti had also already made it clear: “A face-to-face meeting to discuss commercial matters is and remains of paramount importance to Andretti-Cadillac.”
“We welcome the opportunity to meet with Formula 1 management and have confirmed our interest to them in writing,” Andretti said around two weeks ago. However, it is still unclear whether this meeting will take place
