07/01/2023
NEWS STORY
Though refusing to identify it, General Motors president Mark Reuss claims that the Andretti-Cadillac F1 project already has an agreement with an engine supplier.
Speaking in the wake of Thursday's official announcement that Andretti-Cadillac is aiming to enter the sport, with at least one American driver, Reuss confirmed that the project already has an engine partner.
"We have a signed agreement with a power unit supplier, to begin with," he responded when asked if the team had registered its engine supplier with the FIA. "Then, as we move forward, we bring a lot of our expertise to create things for the future as well."
While Andretti, who had previously sought to buy Sauber, has talked of a deal with Renault, many have pointed to his success with Honda, wondering if the Japanese manufacturer might be in the mix even if it is a direct rival to GM, especially in IndyCar. That said, GM and Honda are collaborating in the EV market.
"We do have a large partnership with Honda," admitted Reuss. "We also compete against Honda in series like IndyCar as well. So we have that natural respect and relationship, which is not problematic at all. We'll talk about the engine piece of this at a later date."
Meanwhile, as F1 itself appeared to show indifference to the Andretti-Cadillac announcement, Michael Andretti was asked if he was hoping to enter the sport sooner than 2026.
"It's going to depend on the Expression of Interest, how long that takes, and where we are at the time," he replied. "But we are going to be on track as soon as it all makes sense to be on track."
While FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem was quick to respond positively to Thursday's announcement, other than a terse statement F1 appeared indifferent, indeed, the news didn't even warrant a mention on the sport's official website.
This comes at a time some suggest there is an increasing rift between F1 and the FIA, the sport's governing body.
Asked if Ben Sulayem's support was enough to see his team make it to the grid, Andretti replied: "It is still an FIA Series. The President has definitely showed that you really would like to have an 11th team at least on the grid. He is a racer and he understands the importance of that for the series itself.
"We feel very confident that, once the Expression of Interest goes out, especially having a great partnership with Cadillac, we have a very, very, very good shot at checking every box and being able to be on the grid soon."
Almost from the moment Andretti first signalled his desire to enter the sport, some, including the likes of (F1 boss) Stefano Domenicali, Toto Wolff and Ferrari have appeared to put stumbling blocks in the way.
Other than 'fears' that an 'extra' team would dilute the prize pot - a fear remedied by the $200m pay-out to existing teams demand - Andretti's sceptics have cited their fears for the long-term future of a new team without manufacturer support.
"We're bringing one of the biggest manufacturers in the world now with us with General Motors, motors in Cadillac," said Andretti. "So we feel that that was the one box we didn't have checked that we do have checked now.
"That, I think, will be bringing a tremendous amount of support now to Formula 1. It's hard for anyone to argue with that now."
Indeed.