The message was cleverly placed in a supposed emptiness after the intoxication. Formula 1 had just celebrated a big party in Las Vegas – especially those who like Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Between the colorfully lit hotels and casinos, the 27-year-old has once again crowned himself world champion, four titles, making him one of the six best in his sport. This exciting season has already received its title before the remaining two of the 23 chapters have been written, with the penultimate Grand Prix taking place in Qatar this Sunday. But Formula 1 knows how to stay in the conversation.
The series published at the start of this racing week a press release on its homepage, the content of which ends a controversy that began almost two years ago: The royal family of motorsport, previously rather secretive when it came to expanding the circle of its ten members, will grow. When the new rules come into effect from 2026, not only Audi will be there as a works team, but also another eleventh racing team: the General Motors subsidiary Cadillac has received the approval. The US automobile company should first start with its own team and drive from one of the established manufacturers before Cadillac wants to compete with its own engines.
:At 27, already in the circle of legends
Fourth world title in a row – and what a title: Max Verstappen didn’t drive the best car this season, he took on everyone and still triumphed. Over a year in which he rose to the top of Formula 1.
In this way, the Andretti racing family led by Mario, the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion, and his son Michael, who took part in 13 Formula 1 Grands Prix in 1993, indirectly achieved their goal. “The fact that I can still be involved in this phase of my life, I really have to pinch myself to make sure that I’m not dreaming,” said Mario. Andretti Autosport competes in various prominent series and has wanted to move up to Formula 1 with a team for a long time. However, Audi then took over the Swiss racing team Sauber, and so a partnership with Cadillac came about, in keeping with the boom in the region USA. They couldn’t imagine that anyone would object to this entry. But when the matter became known at the beginning of 2023, the world automobile association FIA was happy about it and had announced an application process for new teams. However, the established racing teams and Formula 1 management were less enthusiastic.
Andretti complained to Congress, and the Justice Department opened an investigation
In October 2023, the FIA around President Mohammed bin Sulayem allowed Andretti to apply as an entry-level candidate. But the actual go-ahead had to be given by the Formula 1 executive suite around CEO Stefano Domenicali, who represents the interests of investor Liberty Media. From the teams’ point of view, the calculation wouldn’t work if Andretti paid the set entry fee of $200 million, then benefited from the global appeal and increased their own value enormously, while the other ten had less of the billions in income. “It’s all about greed,” Michael Andretti said in one at the time Forbes-Interview.
Liberty Media, as the commercial rights holder, rejected the application after its own review in January 2024 with the argument: Andretti did not bring any added value to Formula 1. The 60-year-old then complained to the US Congress, citing antitrust law, and the Justice Department opened an investigation in August 2024. Under this pressure, everyone was obviously able to come to an agreement. According to the announcement, there have been many discussions since the beginning of the year, which have also led to a changed constellation: Cadillac is the sole applicant.
Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei can now say that, given Formula 1’s growth plans in the USA, he has always been convinced that General Motors with Cadillac “could bring additional value and interest to the sport”. Bin Sulayem, Domenicali and General Motors President Mark Reuss are also quoted. Andretti’s name does not appear, but that of Dan Towriss, CEO of the motorsport division of the holding company TWG Global, which has taken Andretti’s place at the negotiating table.
After the battles with Michael had hardened, the person who drove the project forward by building a large factory in Silverstone with 200 employees was officially out. Towriss has taken over the management of Andretti, the 84-year-old Mario is still present on the supervisory board, Michael still works as a brand ambassador and wrote to reached.
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