Cadillac racing in F1 with Andretti

[Mogster]

I think if it is a Honda engine, Tsunoda will be attached to it.


Got to love this line from MBS-
".......... to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship."

Elsewhere
The announcement also confirms TWG (The Walter Group) Global’s position as the parent company that owns and operates Andretti Global, in addition to the Cadillac F1 program.
TWG group has Mark Walters (CEO and founder Guggenheim Partners and shareholder in Group 1001) and Dan Towriss (founder and CEO of Group 1001) as main shareholders

Mark Walters
Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team - 27%,
Los Angeles Lakers - 20%
Chelsea Football Club - 12.7%

TWG owns the Andretti Racing LTD Silverstone UK base with 48,000 sft and 250 staff currently since 2022 and the Fishers USA Andretti Global HQ which is 400,000 sft (which will house the Indy and IMSA teams). Wonder how the US base will be used.
It would be great if all the race car manufacturing, building of cars and race team are based in the US and the design continues at UK office. With less than half races happening in Europe (could reduce further in 2026), it should not be a negative basing the race team in USA as it used to be.

Experienced F1 staff are in the UK or Northern Italy. It’s far easier to poach staff if the furthest they need to travel is at best to the building next door, at worst to a different town in central England.

[FW17]

I think if it is a Honda engine, Tsunoda will be attached to it.


Got to love this line from MBS-
".......... to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship."

Elsewhere
The announcement also confirms TWG (The Walter Group) Global’s position as the parent company that owns and operates Andretti Global, in addition to the Cadillac F1 program.
TWG group has Mark Walters (CEO and founder Guggenheim Partners and shareholder in Group 1001) and Dan Towriss (founder and CEO of Group 1001) as main shareholders

Mark Walters
Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team - 27%,
Los Angeles Lakers - 20%
Chelsea Football Club - 12.7%

TWG owns the Andretti Racing LTD Silverstone UK base with 48,000 sft and 250 staff currently since 2022 and the Fishers USA Andretti Global HQ which is 400,000 sft (which will house the Indy and IMSA teams). Wonder how the US base will be used.
It would be great if all the race car manufacturing, building of cars and race team are based in the US and the design continues at UK office. With less than half races happening in Europe (could reduce further in 2026), it should not be a negative basing the race team in USA as it used to be.

Experienced F1 staff are in the UK or Northern Italy. It’s far easier to poach staff if the furthest they need to travel is at best to the building next door, at worst to a different town in central England.

I understand for the designers, but for everything else (high tech manufacturing, car building, race team, , data engineers, strategy, HR, Finance, Marketing etc.) can be done in the US

[KimiRai]

Cadillac is seeking to do a deal with Ferrari to use its power units when it arrives in Formula 1 in 2026.

The team is also considering hiring American IndyCar star Colton Herta as one of its drivers.

An initial deal to use Ferrari power units is “what we’re talking about,” Andretti told NBC. “That’s not definite yet, but that’s the objective. And that’s the preference.”

https://www.racefans.net/2024/11/26/cad ... e-in-2026/

[Vanja #66]

GM can't compete with Honda in Indy car via Chevy and then do a Caddy-Honda in F1. They also can't use Merc PU (4 teams using is the limit, unless there are special circumstances) and I don't think Caddy-Ford is also an option

That leaves them with Audi and Ferrari, both factories outside UK. Audi are complete newcomers and Ferrari is the oldest PU maker in F1. The choice becomes clear

[AR3-GP]

GM can't compete with Honda in Indy car via Chevy and then do a Caddy-Honda in F1.

GM and Honda developed an electric vehicle together. GM and Honda also collaborated on the new hybrid indycar engine...

Japanese manufacturers don't have a problem collaborating with american manufacturers. It's the rival Japanese manufacturers that they would refuse collaboration with (Toyota and Nissan).

[FW17]

GM can't compete with Honda in Indy car via Chevy and then do a Caddy-Honda in F1.

GM and Honda developed an electric vehicle together. GM and Honda also collaborated on the new hybrid indycar engine...

Japanese manufacturers don't have a problem collaborating with american manufacturers. It's the rival Japanese manufacturers that they would refuse collaboration with (Toyota and Nissan).

Are Honda continuing in Indycar?

[gshevlin]

Honda's continued participation in Indycar is in doubt. They made several statements a while back suggesting that they see no upside to continuing to supply complete powerplants like they do today. They hinted that they see the main source of competitive advantage as being powerplant electronics and hybrid systems, the implication being that Indycar should move to a common basic ICE unit, and then allow different manufacturers to optimize it their way and add hybrid components so that they can put their own badge on the resulting power unit.
There has been no response from Indycar to these hints, and there is still no sign of the mythical third OEM.

[Vanja #66]

GM and Honda developed an electric vehicle together. GM and Honda also collaborated on the new hybrid indycar engine...

Japanese manufacturers don't have a problem collaborating with american manufacturers. It's the rival Japanese manufacturers that they would refuse collaboration with (Toyota and Nissan).

If GM doesn't have a marketing issue to work with Honda, I don't see why they would even consider Ferrari tbh. Unless they know something we don't

[AR3-GP]

If GM doesn't have a marketing issue to work with Honda, I don't see why they would even consider Ferrari tbh. Unless they know something we don't

It is claimed that AMR signed an exclusivity deal with Honda and that may forbid the GM team from working with Honda on contractual grounds.

Why would they consider Ferrari? Well isn't it obvious? Ferrari has been a reasonable PU supplier for many years. It will never be a bad choice. They do not have to be based in Italy to use a Ferrari engine so I don't understand your reservations about "why they would even consider Ferrari"? Do you know something we don't? Is the Ferrari engine going to be bad? Mercedes already will supply 4 teams and they don't make money anymore. RBPT will not supply anyone. Audi will not supply anyone. Honda and Ferrari are the only choices. Honda has exclusivity with AMR. Unless that deal is unwound, then Ferrari is their only choice.

[gshevlin]

Any contract can be modified or cancelled by the application of sufficiently large sums of ca$h.

[Vanja #66]

If GM doesn't have a marketing issue to work with Honda, I don't see why they would even consider Ferrari tbh. Unless they know something we don't

It is claimed that AMR signed an exclusivity deal with Honda and that may forbid the GM team from working with Honda on contractual grounds.

Why would they consider Ferrari? Well isn't it obvious? Ferrari has been a reasonable PU supplier for many years. It will never be a bad choice. They do not have to be based in Italy to use a Ferrari engine so I don't understand your reservations about "why they would even consider Ferrari"? Do you know something we don't? Is the Ferrari engine going to be bad? Mercedes already will supply 4 teams and they don't make money anymore. RBPT will not supply anyone. Audi will not supply anyone. Honda and Ferrari are the only choices. Honda has exclusivity with AMR. Unless that deal is unwound, then Ferrari is their only choice.

Woah, one question at a time

[Mogster]

I think if it is a Honda engine, Tsunoda will be attached to it.


Got to love this line from MBS-
".......... to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship."

Elsewhere
The announcement also confirms TWG (The Walter Group) Global’s position as the parent company that owns and operates Andretti Global, in addition to the Cadillac F1 program.
TWG group has Mark Walters (CEO and founder Guggenheim Partners and shareholder in Group 1001) and Dan Towriss (founder and CEO of Group 1001) as main shareholders

Mark Walters
Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team - 27%,
Los Angeles Lakers - 20%
Chelsea Football Club - 12.7%

TWG owns the Andretti Racing LTD Silverstone UK base with 48,000 sft and 250 staff currently since 2022 and the Fishers USA Andretti Global HQ which is 400,000 sft (which will house the Indy and IMSA teams). Wonder how the US base will be used.
It would be great if all the race car manufacturing, building of cars and race team are based in the US and the design continues at UK office. With less than half races happening in Europe (could reduce further in 2026), it should not be a negative basing the race team in USA as it used to be.

Experienced F1 staff are in the UK or Northern Italy. It’s far easier to poach staff if the furthest they need to travel is at best to the building next door, at worst to a different town in central England.

I understand for the designers, but for everything else (high tech manufacturing, car building, race team, , data engineers, strategy, HR, Finance, Marketing etc.) can be done in the US

OK, the catering can be provided anywhere.

The engineering and performance side of F1 appears incredibly niche. Having individuals who can perform a function isn’t enough, you need people that excel. You can slot capable but untrained people into a successful structure and they’ll learn quickly. Recruit a whole cohort of inexperienced people and the learning will take much longer and will involve a lot of errors and culdesac navigation. As investors tend to want the fastest results possible then setting up near to other teams makes recruiting experienced staff much easier and has proved to be a short cut to success.

Toyota found out how much of a hindrance setting up a new team in a random location is. It wasn’t the biggest factor in failure of their F1 project but the location definitely didn’t help.

[FW17]

Experienced F1 staff are in the UK or Northern Italy. It’s far easier to poach staff if the furthest they need to travel is at best to the building next door, at worst to a different town in central England.

I understand for the designers, but for everything else (high tech manufacturing, car building, race team, , data engineers, strategy, HR, Finance, Marketing etc.) can be done in the US

OK, the catering can be provided anywhere.

The engineering and performance side of F1 appears incredibly niche. Having individuals who can perform a function isn’t enough, you need people that excel. You can slot capable but untrained people into a successful structure and they’ll learn quickly. Recruit a whole cohort of inexperienced people and the learning will take much longer and will involve a lot of errors and culdesac navigation. As investors tend to want the fastest results possible then setting up near to other teams makes recruiting experienced staff much easier and has proved to be a short cut to success.

Toyota found out how much of a hindrance setting up a new team in a random location is. It wasn’t the biggest factor in failure of their F1 project but the location definitely didn’t help.

Same arguments can be made about engines, yet Honda, Toyota, BMW all have made successful engines outside established motorsport valley

[taperoo2k]

I think if it is a Honda engine, Tsunoda will be attached to it.


Got to love this line from MBS-
".......... to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship."

Elsewhere
The announcement also confirms TWG (The Walter Group) Global’s position as the parent company that owns and operates Andretti Global, in addition to the Cadillac F1 program.
TWG group has Mark Walters (CEO and founder Guggenheim Partners and shareholder in Group 1001) and Dan Towriss (founder and CEO of Group 1001) as main shareholders

Mark Walters
Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team - 27%,
Los Angeles Lakers - 20%
Chelsea Football Club - 12.7%

TWG owns the Andretti Racing LTD Silverstone UK base with 48,000 sft and 250 staff currently since 2022 and the Fishers USA Andretti Global HQ which is 400,000 sft (which will house the Indy and IMSA teams). Wonder how the US base will be used.
It would be great if all the race car manufacturing, building of cars and race team are based in the US and the design continues at UK office. With less than half races happening in Europe (could reduce further in 2026), it should not be a negative basing the race team in USA as it used to be.

Experienced F1 staff are in the UK or Northern Italy. It’s far easier to poach staff if the furthest they need to travel is at best to the building next door, at worst to a different town in central England.

I understand for the designers, but for everything else (high tech manufacturing, car building, race team, , data engineers, strategy, HR, Finance, Marketing etc.) can be done in the US

Not sure you get how integral every single member of an F1 team is to the success of said team. A relative worked for Williams F1. Sir Frank Williams valued everyone, including the cleaners. Ideally you want to have your team located in the same geographic location to ensure things run as smoothly as possible. McLaren, Williams, Red Bull, Aston Martin etc all do it that way.

You also have to factor in the specialist suppliers to F1 teams that have decades of experience in producing very niche components for F1 teams. Most of that is based in the UK, Italy and a few other European countries. I know you'll say "But you can ship that stuff to America". However given the tight turnarounds in F1, you'd be shipping in supplies from Europe to the US, then flying back to Europe and then onto Races in Europe and the Middle East etc. It's why Andretti has been building it's team in the UK. You can hire the best and not have to factor in trying to persuade them to uproot families to move to the US.

[FW17]

Experienced F1 staff are in the UK or Northern Italy. It’s far easier to poach staff if the furthest they need to travel is at best to the building next door, at worst to a different town in central England.

I understand for the designers, but for everything else (high tech manufacturing, car building, race team, , data engineers, strategy, HR, Finance, Marketing etc.) can be done in the US

Not sure you get how integral every single member of an F1 team is to the success of said team. A relative worked for Williams F1. Sir Frank Williams valued everyone, including the cleaners. Ideally you want to have your team located in the same geographic location to ensure things run as smoothly as possible. McLaren, Williams, Red Bull, Aston Martin etc all do it that way.

You also have to factor in the specialist suppliers to F1 teams that have decades of experience in producing very niche components for F1 teams. Most of that is based in the UK, Italy and a few other European countries. I know you'll say "But you can ship that stuff to America". However given the tight turnarounds in F1, you'd be shipping in supplies from Europe to the US, then flying back to Europe and then onto Races in Europe and the Middle East etc. It's why Andretti has been building it's team in the UK. You can hire the best and not have to factor in trying to persuade them to uproot families to move to the US.

While that is an easy way of doing things, It can be done from 2 locations. Post Covid, people are comfortable in remote working except for some cranky managers.

With regards to specialist parts, don't want to argue too much, but US has every bit of tech manufacturing within its borders.