Formula 1 has rejected Andretti Cadillac’s application

Formula 1 has officially rejected Andretti Cadillac’s application to participate in the championship in 2025 and 2026. However, the team still has the opportunity to compete in the 2028 season if Cadillac develops and builds its own power plant by then.

After several months of discussions, the Formula 1 management came to the conclusion that the Andretti team would not be able to perform at a competitive level. FOM believes that the new team will bring more benefits to Michael Andretti himself, and not to Formula 1.

“During the assessment of the application, it was determined that the addition of an eleventh team would not in itself benefit the championship. The main way a new entrant can benefit from this is by being competitive. We do not believe that the applicant will be a competitive bidder.

While the Andretti name has some recognition among Formula 1 fans, our research shows that it is Formula 1 that will benefit the Andretti brand, and not the other way around.

The additional eleventh team will increase the operational burden on race promoters. Some of them will have to accept significant cost increases and limit the technical, operational and commercial capabilities of other participants.

We could not identify any significant expected positive impact on Formula 1’s financial results, a key indicator of commercial value.

Based on the application as it stands, we believe that the applicant has not demonstrated that his performance would add value to the championship. On this basis, we conclude that the applicant’s request for participation should not be granted.”

Formula 1 made it clear that another reason why Michael Andretti’s project was rejected was due to the team’s intention to use customer power plants under the Cadillac brand. The championship is interested in the emergence of a new car manufacturer, and if General Motors (GM) develops its own power plant, this will be a major factor in reconsidering the decision.

“We might look at the team’s application for the 2028 season with a GM power plant differently. This could be a GM factory team or a customer team, which will develop all necessary components in-house.

In this case it will be necessary to take into account additional factors of the value that the applicant will bring to the championship. Especially by bringing a prestigious new car manufacturer into the sport as a powertrain supplier.”