Cadillac Formula 1 did not stop the hostility
Andretti has been trying to join the Formula One World Championship for more than a year, but has been rejected by teams and disciplinary officials, despite a warmer welcome from the FIA. In this context and to give more confidence to his candidacy, the structure led by Michael Andretti approached the manufacturer General Motors, and from this approach a partnership with the Cadillac brand was born. Together, the two sides aim to finish in F1 within the next few years as the FIA prepares to call for applications.
Despite strong support from a group the size of General Motors, F1 continues to turn its back on Andretti, making it clear that Andretti is not the only contender and that the championship wants to stay. “reliable and stable”.
Despite the reluctance, Andretti and Cadillac did not lose hope. Rory Harvey, global vice president of the American automaker, has taken this reaction into account and is confident of the strength of his candidacy.
“We would not have announced our intention to submit an Expression of Interest if we did not believe that this proposal met the requirements and allowed us to succeed.”he declared. “In that respect, there is still a lot in the process. The Expression of Interest and the details have not been published yet, this is the first step. We have to submit our Expression of Interest. Interest and then see how the process unfolds.”
Michael Andretti
For each team wishing to enter the starting grid, the FIA must submit an Expression of Interest after launching the call for applications. It is then reviewed by the governing body, and if it and F1 officials agree, the entry is approved against the $200 million settlement. Haas is the last team to date to go through all the stages of this process, responding to the challenge that started in 2013 and then officially joining the championship in 2016.
Furthermore, given that Andretti-Cadillac’s initial goal would be to partner with an existing engine manufacturer, many wonder about the actual involvement of General Motors: if Cadillac just put its name on the car, it would not be a serious commitment from the manufacturer. speaking So Harvey wanted to set the record straight.
“I know the Andetti organization is very excited.”turned on. “We will do our best with our Expression of Interest and show what we think we can bring to Formula 1. We believe that partnership [avec Andretti] it’s beautiful and allows us to perform. We are confident that we have diverse skill sets within the organizations, which means we can draw on the expertise of both parties to create a package that will ensure our competitiveness.”
Cadillac’s IMSA program is not affected by F1
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac V-LMDh
Since 2017, Cadillac has participated in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the United States. This season, for the introduction of the LMDh division and regulatory convergence with the FIA WEC, the American manufacturer has developed a new prototype that will compete in both championships.
Some wonder if Cadillac’s IMSA and WEC program could suffer from the manufacturer’s renewed interest in Formula 1, but Rory Harvey says that won’t be the case. “No, we are also very excited about this opportunity. […] From our point of view, [la F1] will complete what we have seen [en IMSA]we don’t think it will affect [notre programme IMSA] in any way”– explained the vice president.
“We have a history in motorsport. It’s been more than 70 years since we started motorsport and we’ve had great success in a number of championships over the years. The US and IMSA championships are very important to us. In addition, we need to complete it with regulatory convergence to be able to participate in the World Endurance Championship. we’re trying.”
“We’re selling Cadillacs all over the world, and that gives us a lot more reach and we think about being successful in geographic areas, and we can complement what we’re doing here with the ability to get to Formula 1 if we go there. We see this as another piece of the puzzle and something that fits perfectly with the Cadillac brand and the legacy of Cadillac Racing and General Motors Racing.”
Cadillac also benefits from its continued commitment to IMSA in terms of technology transfer, especially for production models: Cadillac has the V series and the V Blackwing [pour la performance], is very successful. We are working with IMSA to maximize this opportunity and make sure we can use some of these technologies for the road.”
“Last year, we launched the Track Edition versions, which sold out almost immediately. It shows that in terms of the target audience, it fits with what we want to achieve. If you look at this year’s powertrains, [en IMSA] and intend to be fully electric by 2030, we have a 5.5 liter V8 and hybrid technology. So in that regard, we’re looking to learn, evolve and learn more for our EV lineup as we go forward.”
With Luke Smith, Gary Watkins and David Malsher-Lopez
