F1 likely to approve GM-backed team after Andretti changes

A General Motors-backed Formula 1 entry is now likely to be approved after all.

What started as a bid from Michael Andretti to get his eponymous team into F1, first by trying to buy Sauber and then through a brand new entry as the Andretti Global organisation, morphed into a dual effort with GM and its Cadillac brand last year.

Our verdict on F1's likely GM-Andretti U-turn

That got the green light from the FIA but Formula One Management refused to give its own blessing.

F1 rejected the proposed Andretti Cadillac team for 2026, even though GM had pledged to develop its own F1 engine by 2028 - with the intention of it becoming a fully-fledged works team.

The explanation at the time was that F1 would look differently on an out-and-out GM works team in 2028 but did not think an Andretti-run customer team would be competitive or commercially transformative in the interim.

Andretti refused to give up, and continued to build its prospective F1 programme, opening a UK satellite base for Andretti Global alongside its new headquarters in the United States.

It has conducted extensive windtunnel work using the Toyota facility in Cologne, Germany, reportedly made significant progress building and crash-testing a 2026 chassis, and made several key hires including the experienced Pat Symonds, who was most recently chief technical officer of F1 itself.

At the same time, pressure started to be exerted on F1 owner Liberty Media in the US. This included bringing Andretti’s rejection to the attention of US politicians who invited Mario Andretti to Capitol Hill ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in May, and sparked a Department of Justice investigation into the matter.

But the most significant development is understood to have been a combination of the recent top-level change at Andretti Global and Michael Andretti’s decision to stand down from day-to-day leadership, and a renewed commitment from GM to be as involved as possible from the start of the project for 2026.

Andretti’s approach to trying to get on the grid has been controversial and caused friction between his side and FOM. And there were doubts that an Andretti-led entry might only be dressed up by the Cadillac name and arms-length GM involvement, which would make it uncompetitive and reduce the commercial benefits it would bring.

However, as reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by The Race’s sources, Andretti Global now being led by Andretti's business partner Dan Towriss has allowed for the impasse to be broken.

While it is not known what the entry would be submitted as, the original Andretti Cadillac name is expected to change. The Andretti name may disappear or at the very least have reduced prominence even though the organisation itself is the foundation for the entry.

GM and/or Cadillac branding is the most logical outcome and GM would be entering as a team owner, not just an engine partner or glorified sponsor.

It reflects the revised entry being seen more as a ‘proper’ GM team from the start, and a key distinction from what FOM rejected at the start of 2024, even though it will still need to wait until 2028 to get the works engine.

It is not practical for GM/Cadillac to fast-track their engine development for 2026 which means this programme will need to strike a customer deal, one of the factors that FOM was wary of initially – especially if the entry needs to rely on FIA regulations that effectively force an existing manufacturer to agree a supply deal, in the event one cannot be negotiated willingly.

Andretti previously had a deal in principle with Renault but that has long since expired and Renault is shutting down its engine programme anyway.  

This would all presumably result in the DoJ investigation being dropped seeing as GM, which is the party it was most interested in, would not longer be blocked from F1.