Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Wednesday November 27, 2024 at 11:50 p.m.
If General Motors will launch its Cadillac team in F1 from 2026, its engine project will not materialize before 2028. In the meantime, an agreement with another engine manufacturer will have to be concluded and Mario Andretti has assured that the objective is an alliance with Ferrari.
This time it's the right one! After seeing Michael Andretti get the door slammed in F1's face last January, the General Motors group took things in hand with Dan Towriss. The result is the now certain arrival of a Cadillac team on the starting grid in 2026. This project goes hand in hand with the development of an engine by the American firm but the latter should not be ready before the start of the season 2028. In its press release, the GM group mentions “the end of the decade” as an objective for the launch of an engine of its design. This delay will therefore require the American firm to find an agreement with one of the five engine manufacturers who will be on the starting grid in a little over a year. If the regulations could require Honda to supply its engine to Cadillac, a completely different plan seems to be in place. Mario Andretti took stock of the situation during an interview given to the channel this Tuesday NBC News.
Andretti has maintained strong ties with Ferrari
And the answer to the question about a possible alliance with Ferrari from whoever will have a non-executive role within the Cadillac team was very clear. “That’s what we’re talking about. It's not yet final but it's our goal, said the 1978 world champion. It's also our preference. » Although he collaborated with many brands during his fourteen seasons in Formula 1, Mario Andretti remains marked by his time at Maranello. “My history with Ferrari and my relationship with Enzo Ferrari, all of that plays a huge role,” he admitted. There are so many factors that make sense. It would be the best of all worlds. » As for the duo of drivers who will be associated in 2026, the former American driver affirms that “the idea would be to have an experienced driver, whose nationality does not matter, and a young American talent”. A statement which could validate the track leading to Colton Herta, who plays for Andretti in IndyCar and who is very close to having the points necessary to validate an F1 super-license with the FIA.
