by Alan Baldwin
A bid backed by General Motors (GM) to join Formula 1 as its 11th team in 2026 now has a better chance of succeeding after being previously rejected, several sources said on Friday.
Formula 1, owned by Liberty Media, ruled out Andretti's candidacy in January, doubting his competitiveness or added value, but kept the door open for 2028, when GM would be able to supply an engine.
The situation has evolved since then: Michael Andretti, former F1 driver and son of Mario, F1 world champion in 1978, announced in September that he was stepping back from his day-to-day operational role within Andretti Global.
Still an advisor and involved in the F1 project, Michael Andretti passed the baton to his business partner Dan Towriss, who visited the Las Vegas paddock ahead of this weekend's Grand Prix, the third of the season in the States -United.
Liberty Media is also experiencing changes to its organizational chart as longtime CEO Greg Maffei will step down at the end of the year.
The teams seem more open to welcoming a new team, provided there is an obvious advantage for the discipline.
“I think if a team can contribute to the championship, especially if GM decides to become the owner of a team, that's another story,” Toto Wolff, boss and co-owner of the Mercedes team, told a press conference. .
“And as long as it's creative, meaning we increase the popularity of the sport, we increase the revenue of the sport, then no team will object to it,” he said.
Toto Wolff, however, clarified that the decision was not up to the teams. The FIA approved Andretti's request last year before forwarding it to Formula 1 for review, and ultimately rejecting it.
The teams have argued that the current entry payment of $200 million, to be split among the 10 existing teams, is insufficient when the sport is booming and some teams are valued at more than $1 billion .
This situation could also change with the new regulations concerning engines which will be effective from 2026, when a new “Concorde” commercial agreement must also be concluded.
A General Motors-backed team would likely compete with Cadillac-branded engines starting in 2028 and source from another manufacturer until then.
“I talked to Mario (Andretti) once. I didn't talk to his son. I didn't talk to the other people who are behind this. I don't know who they are. So I know GM . GM is great,” added Toto Wolff.
Ferrari's French boss, Fred Vasseur, reacted: “It is certain, as Toto said, that if it is good for the sport, good for the spectacle, good for the business, and that it adds sporting value, we all agree.”
No comments were made by Formula 1 or Andretti representatives.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, French version Vincent Daheron, editing by Blandine Hénault)
