Andretti's latest move is sign of F1's changing world – MPH

Andretti has answered another question asked by bringing an automotive behemoth to its F1 bid, but the tension between the FIA and FOM is clear

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Michael Andretti at the 2022 Canadian GP

Andretti's latest move is to bring in a manufacturer to its F1 bid

DPPI

Andretti Global’s teaming up with GM and the Cadillac brand in its attempts at entering Formula 1 is a fascinating development. There are several dimensions to it, quite aside from the Andretti dynasty pushing to take its place on the F1 grid and bringing an overtly American flavour to what is still at heart a European sport.

Firstly, there’s the apparent mismatch in appetites for a new team between FOM and the teams on one side and the FIA on the other.

Although the respective statements of the FIA and FOM in reaction to the Cadillac/Andretti announcement yesterday said much the same thing – that the expression of interest is a process and it will be assessed on established criteria – it’s not difficult to detect the differing tone: welcome vs measured.

2 Michael Andretti at the 2022 Canadian GP

Andretti has found FOM response less than warm – but it may not have a choice in the matter

Grand Prix Photo

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem: “It is particularly pleasing to have interest from two iconic brands such as General Motors Cadillac and Andretti Global. Any additional entries would build on the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 PU regulations among OEMs which has already attracted an entry from Audi. Any Expressions of Interest process will follow strict FIA protocol and will take several months.”

FOM: “There is great interest in the F1 project at this time with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others. We all want to ensure the championship remains credible and stable and any new entrant request will be assessed on criteria to meet those objectives by all the relevant stakeholders. Any new entrant request requires the agreement of both F1 and the FIA.”

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Underscoring this is an ongoing tension between F1 itself and the governing body which is inherent in the sport’s structure. Liberty Media and its management group FOM own the commercial rights and bring in all the money but the championship belongs to the FIA which holds the regulatory power. The cost cap and F1’s increased revenue has made it feasible for the first time for all teams to be profitable entities and hence the franchise system has been put in place. For that to work requires a finite number of franchises, currently 10.

So obviously there is always going to be a resistance from existing franchise holders to the idea of an extra franchise diluting the profits for each. The teams will be resistant to it and so will FOM as it seeks to keep all its franchise holders healthy. The FIA on the other hand is duty-bound to hear out credible parties who wish to join its championship. So there is a little bit of power play going on here.

Andretti has been actively campaigning to join for a couple of years now and has sought to answer every requirement suggested. But even then, it was emphasised that any automotive group seeking to enter would probably be given preference. So Andretti has now come back with a big name automotive partner, knocking down yet another barrier.

Stefano Domenicali with Mohammed Ben Sulayem and flavio Briatore at the Austrian Grand Prix in 2022

Tension between FOM and FIA is clear

Antonin Vincent / DPPI

Which brings us to Cadillac, a brand with enormous cultural heft in the USA but relatively little presence in Europe and with an image a million miles from F1. But these are new times, with a rapidly changing audience for the sport and something of a revolution in the automotive industry where nothing is off the table as manufacturers try to adapt to rapid changes in buying habits.

With no mainstream European brands since selling off Opel/Vauxhall to Stellantis, General Motors plans to relaunch the Cadillac brand here and F1 would be a powerful marketing tool in doing that. But, looking at it the other way around, from F1’s European base to the USA, Cadillac is a hugely powerful brand over there already, lodged deep in the American psyche as the ultimate status symbol. A Cadillac presence might be calculated to bring enough new interest to more than overcome the dilution of the income.

A Cadillac-branded F1 entry sounds odd from the perspective of the past. But the world is radically changing.

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