Andretti Cadillac is headed full-throttle toward its competition debut in the 2026 season, despite significant pushback from existing teams and a rejection from Formula One Management (FOM). However, the organization is not only North American racing team trying to break onto the F1 grid, further complicating the narrative.
According to a report from Mirror, Otmar Szafnauer, former Alpine team principal, is involved with a rival F1 team project based in North America. The details regarding the partnership are slim, and Szafnauer didn’t clarify which manufacturer he’s partnered with, but he did state that he is not involved with the Cadillac Andretti project.
“I’m a competitor and the one thing that I like more than anything is the competition,” Szafnauer said. “So, to come back in a role where I can’t influence how well the team is competing, I don’t think I’d be interested. If it was a role where I could help develop, build, attract the right people to improve a team’s competitiveness, I’d be interested.”
He added, “I’ve been working with some organizations in North America that have the funding to start an 11th team. It’s not Andretti. Now, we’re just putting some of those building blocks in place to make sure that we have everything that’s required in order to be successful to both start a team, but also get an entry. So, you know, that’s interesting too.”
The opposition to the Cadillac Andretti racing team prompted the U.S. Congress to step in and demand answers. In the absence of a response, FOM is now under investigation by the House Judiciary Committee. It’s worth noting that Cadillac parent, General Motors, has already applied and been approved to become an F1 power unit manufacturer in 2028.
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