{"id":30329,"date":"2023-01-06T12:32:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T16:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=30329"},"modified":"2023-01-06T12:32:20","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T16:32:20","slug":"u-s-in-f1-gm-and-andretti-team-up-to-go-formula-one-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/u-s-in-f1-gm-and-andretti-team-up-to-go-formula-one-racing","title":{"rendered":"U.S. in F1: GM and Andretti team up to go Formula One racing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formula One is poised to get a dose of red, white and blue.<\/p>\n

Two icons of U.S. auto sports, Andretti Global and General Motors Co.’s Cadillac, are teaming up to race in the world\u2019s most prestigious, open-wheel motor-racing series. The bombshell news Thursday comes as Formula One and Cadillac are making major pushes into new markets \u2014 and dovetails with Andretti Global CEO Michael Andretti\u2019s ambition to follow in the footsteps of his famous father, Mario Andretti, to conquer F1 with an American team.<\/p>\n

The time seems ripe for both GM and Andretti. F1 has surged in interest in the United States in recent years with three Grand Prix on the schedule for 2023: Austin, Miami and Las Vegas. Furthermore, the hybrid-powered series has championed electrified racing with a promise for zero-emission racing by 2026 \u2014 an ambition that dovetails with GM’s Zero-Zero-Zero mantra (zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion) and with Cadillac taking the lead as GM\u2019s first global, all-electric brand.<\/p>\n

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The partnership did not announce a date for entry into the sport but said it has begun the formal application process with Formula One\u2019s FIA organizing body. If selected, Andretti Cadillac said it is seeking to compete as soon as practical with at least one American driver. The team would be based in the United States with a support facility in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is the first step in what we hope to be the historic entry of General Motors into F1. Never happened in our history \u2014 it\u2019s very, very exciting for us to be with Andretti,\u201d GM President Mark Reuss said in a press briefing. \u201cAnd if given the opportunity, GM and Cadillac will compete with the very best at the very highest levels with passion and integrity that will continue to elevate the sport for the FIA and race fans around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Formula One partnership is separate from the Detroit Grand Prix, which will race downtown in June this year. The Grand Prix here is an open-wheel IndyCar series race with Chevrolet as a title sponsor. Formula One last raced in the streets of Detroit in 1988.<\/p>\n

U.S. automaker involvement in Formula One in recent decades has been sporadic and fraught. Ford Motor Co. was the last American F1 competitor with its then-Jaguar brand from 2000-04 (under the management of American Bobby Rahal for 2001). And Mario Andretti was the last American to win an F1 championship in 1978. No U.S. driver currently races in the series. The lone U.S.-based team in F1, North Carolina-based Hass, uses Ferrari engines.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very strongly that we are suited to be a new team for Formula One and can bring value to the series and our partners, and excitement for the fans,\u201d Indianapolis-based Andretti Global CEO Michael Andretti said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019m proud to have GM and Cadillac alongside us as we pursue this goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s an investment Cadillac is determined to make as it recasts itself for a global, 21st-century market. The F1 announcement complements other recent brand moonshots including the introduction of a hand-built, $300,000-plus Celestiq sedan and all-electric lineup by 2030.<\/p>\n

GM gives Andretti the crucial backing of a major manufacturer in a sport that demands brand prestige \u2014 Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Honda all compete \u2014 as much as it demands their financial resources. Formula One budgets are notoriously stratospheric, and insiders suggest the Andretti Cadillac partnership will need to make a $1 billion investment to be competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you’re going to be a true luxury brand, you need to appeal to a number of different customers,\u201d said Rory Harvey, vice president of Global Cadillac, in an interview. \u201cYou need … to demonstrate the ability to be there with the best in the world. And I think this is a great addition in terms of the announcement of the expression of interest in Formula One.\u201d<\/p>\n

The series\u2019 explosive growth in the United States also helps Cadillac in its backyard, added Harvey: \u201cWe’re now up to three races in the U.S., and F1 is certainly growing in popularity here. The U.S. market is massively important to Cadillac. There\u2019s no doubt that (Andretti Cadillac is) complementary to some of the growing focus fans put on F1.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coming 2026 F1 rules are tailor-made for manufacturers eager to show off their electrification chops. Global government emissions rules are forcing manufacturers towards battery-powered drivetrains. Formula One\u2019s \u201826 rules increase the battery component of the F1 drivetrain from 80-20 gas-electric to 50-50 at the same time reducing development costs.<\/p>\n

Those sweeteners have unleashed rumors that rival Ford might partner with the Red Bull team in F1 as well. The move also comes as Cadillac\u2019s parent, GM, is deepening its commitment to global motorsport. Cadillac is pursuing victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year with a new, prototype sports car. And the Chevrolet brand\u2019s Corvette Z06 GT3 race car will be available for private teams to race across the globe in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark Reuss is on a mission for Cadillac,\u201d said Steven Cole Smith, a veteran racing writer with Hagerty. \u201cHe wants to bring the Cadillac brand back to what it was. Successfully racing in Formula One would be Cadillac\u2019s crowning glory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Formula One is a major step as the world\u2019s most expensive and technologically advanced form of motorsport. Annual budgets can soar to as much as $500 million a year for top teams, though F1\u2019s new rules are intended to cap annual engine development costs at $100 million.<\/p>\n

Andretti Global currently participates in six series across the globe including the FIA\u2019s battery-powered Formula E series which is a distant cousin to Formula One. Andretti is best known in the United States as one of the open-wheel IndyCar series powerhouse teams. Since its founding in 2003, the team has won five Indy 500 races and four driver championships. The team fielded three cars in the 2022 season, winning twice with American drivers Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi.<\/p>\n

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Andretti\u2019s interest in Formula One has been a constant source of chatter in the IndyCar paddock in recent years with Herta\u2019s name consistently in the conversation as a young, dynamic American driver that would increase American fan interest.<\/p>\n

Andretti unsuccessfully tried to buy the Alfa Romeo-Saber team in 2021. A year ago, Andretti filed an application with the FIA with Renault as its engine supplier for the 2024 season, but the application stalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cFormula One has been very tightly controlled with 10 teams splitting the pie, so it\u2019s been difficult for F1 to see how Andretti adds value,\u201d Hagerty’s Smith said. \u201cNow with Cadillac behind Andretti, I don\u2019t see how Formula One says no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andretti and GM last paired in the 2012 IndyCar season when the team was powered by Chevrolet engines. Andretti IndyCars currently uses Honda engines.<\/p>\n

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Cadillac\u2019s push into Formula One comes on top of its ambitious plans to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year \u2014 the first time the brand has competed in the world\u2019s most prestigious endurance race since 2002. Caddy has been a contender in the American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series since 2017, and its all-new, earth-shaking hybrid-V-8 Cadillac V-LMDh, will take the fight global this year in IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur commitment to this program goes beyond the Cadillac livery,\u201d Reuss said. \u201cGM\u2019s vast engineering resources will bring proven success and valuable contributions to this partnership. This includes all the talent and capabilities of GM racing staff and facilities in Michigan, at the Warren Tech Center and North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Formula One is poised to get a dose of red, white and blue. Two icons of U.S. auto sports, Andretti Global and General Motors Co.’s Cadillac, are teaming up to race in the world\u2019s most prestigious, open-wheel motor-racing series. The bombshell news Thursday comes as Formula One and Cadillac are making major pushes into new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30329"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30329"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30330,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30329\/revisions\/30330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}