American Powerhouse Andretti’s F1 Entry in Jeopardy as Cadillac’s Shaky Loyalty Gets Questioned: “Likes of McLaren & Williams Are Looking”
Follow Us
Michael Andretti, ever since expressing his interest in entering F1, has faced many roadblocks. To begin with, the existing teams were against the 10 percent reduction in their share of prize money. Then they proposed that he cough up $200 million to compensate them for the dilution. Later, the existing teams ordered that he cough up more than triple that amount, as F1’s value had increased over time. And when there wasn’t anything left, they asked him to get an actual automaker onboard. In furtherance of that, he announced a partnership with Cadillac. Now, if a veteran F1 journalist is to be believed, even that partnership might be on a knife edge.
As the incumbent teams made a demand of a $700 million dilution fee, Andretti’s interest reportedly grew towards buying AlphaTauri out instead of floating the 11th team. That happened since Dietrich Mateschitz’s death when speculations were running that Red Bull was looking to offload their sister team. The senior team’s boss, Christian Horner, however, put all those rumors to rest recently.
Now, according to Joe Saward, even Cadillac’s loyalty isn’t unconditional. In his recent blog, he talked about how the automaker is willing to enter the competition regardless of whether that entry comes through Andretti. That is because, as an automaker, their role might be limited to manufacturing ICEs, while Andretti will have to deliver the chassis.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“What Andretti needs to do therefore if it is win an entry is to prove that it can produce a competitive chassis and run a solid racing team. Elsewhere, the likes of McLaren or Williams are looking at Cadillac and thinking ‘Yummy, I can eat that…’,” he wrote.
Saward also talked about the consensus among the manufacturers that has changed since the introduction of the budget cap.
Will Cadillac float a team without Andretti to get a bigger share of the pie?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Ever since the introduction of the budget cap in 2021, the expenses of each time are more or less equal. The earned revenue, on the other hand, has only increased with the increase in the sport’s popularity. That has left manufacturers thinking if going alone and earning better profits is the way to go in the future.
That, according to Saward, might also be the conundrum Cadillac must be going through. He wrote, “it is in the interest of manufacturers to have their own teams, now that there is a budget cap and revenues are rising and teams can make a profit.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Trending
Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”
April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT
F1 Rumor: Christian Horner and Wife Geri to Publicly Reveal All Details on Leaked Chat Scandal
April 22, 2024 04:10 PM EDT
Max Verstappen Sabotaged Daniel Ricciardo’s Only Chance of Getting the Red Bull Seat for 2025
April 21, 2024 11:59 AM EDT
Carlos Sainz Blames Charles Leclerc for Causing Fred Vasseur’s Painful Chinese GP Loss
April 21, 2024 12:23 PM EDT
Toto Wolff Leaves Carlos Sainz Out of Long Term Plans, Nico Rosberg Reveals Details of Proposed Mercedes Contract
April 22, 2024 07:21 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
Watch This Story: Rich History of F1 races in Las Vegas Throughout the Years
Whether Andretti will get an entry in F1, only time will tell. But these possible developments don’t paint a rosy picture. Do you think 2026 might still be the year for Andretti Global to enter F1? Or have they had enough to deter them from pursuing their dream?