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GM registers with the FIA as future F1 engine manufacturer
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The manufacturer plans to engage with Andretti’s Cadillac team
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Andretti has not yet been confirmed by F1
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Other teams opposed an eleventh participation
(Adds FIA reaction and details) by Alan Baldwin
General Motors has officially registered with Formula 1’s governing body to supply engines to the Andretti Cadillac team from 2028, the American manufacturer announced on Tuesday.
The FIA approved an expression of interest from Andretti for an 11th team last month, but Formula 1 is still considering sending an application to .
“We are thrilled that our new Andretti Cadillac F1 team will be powered by a GM engine,” Mark Reuss, GM president, said in a statement released ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, one of three races organized in the United States.
“With our engineering and racing expertise, we are confident that we will develop a successful powertrain for the series and position Andretti Cadillac as a true works team.
“We will race with the best, at the highest level, with passion and integrity, which will help elevate the sport for racing fans around the world
The move will increase pressure on Liberty Media-owned Formula One Management, whose director Stefano Domenicali said the expansion decision had to be the right one for the company.
Refusing one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, and one of the most important to have participated in Formula 1, could backfire on a sport eager to conquer the American public and whose main sponsors are more and more numerous In the region.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who told Reuters last month he wanted to see more teams, welcomed the development.
“We are delighted to learn that GM has registered as a PU supplier for FIA F1. This is a further endorsement of the FIA tire regulations. iconic American brands Andretti and GM is a good thing for the sport,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.
Most existing teams are opposed to an 11th edition diluting their share of the profits, but they have no say in the decision.
They believe that compensation of $200 million to be shared between them is not enough, given that some teams are valued at more than a billion dollars.
They also question the credibility of the project and wonder if it could be a real work team or just a sponsorship with a brand stuck on someone else’s engine.
Michael Andretti, son of 1978 world champion Mario, said last month that he still intended to enter the championship in 2025 and that a car meeting 2023 specifications was ready to go through the wind tunnel.
“Right now it’s 25, it could be 26, but we’ll see,” he said at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Formula 1 will have new engine rules from 2026, and GM is expected to be the seventh manufacturer if Andretti gets approval. Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Audi, Honda and Red Bull-Ford have already committed.
GM said development and testing of prototype technology was already underway.
“Engineering an F1 power unit will advance GM’s expertise in areas such as electrification, hybrid technology, sustainable fuels, high-efficiency internal combustion engines, advanced controls and software systems,” the automaker said.
Andretti had reached an agreement with Alpine for an engine for the first seasons, but Bruno Famin, the new boss of the Renault-owned team, recently declared that the agreement was void.
“Technically the deal is void, but once we get approval, that will be taken care of,” Andretti said. “We’re not worried about it