Former world champion Mario Andretti has been offered a key role in General Motors’ Formula 1 team. The American team, which will join the grid in 2026 through its subsidiary Cadillac, has offered the 84-year-old ex-driver an advisory role. Andretti is excited about the collaboration. “I have to pinch myself, otherwise I would think I’m dreaming,” he said.
Earlier this year, the American racing family made an attempt to join the Formula 1 grid through Andretti Global. At the time, son Michael Andretti was leading the project and arranged a collaboration with General Motors. The automotive giant was keen to get involved in the premier class through Cadillac. However, the proposal was rejected by the FOM at the end of January, stating that Andretti’s arrival would not add value to the sport.
In the run-up to the Las Vegas GP, however, rumors circulated that General Motors had successfully negotiated a deal with Formula 1. As Michael Andretti had previously stepped back from his Formula 1 ambitions, renewed interest in the project was sparked. On Monday, confirmation came – from 2026, there will be an eleventh team on the grid. Reportedly, Formula 1 was persuaded by General Motors’ promise to supply its own engines for their racing team from 2028.
Andretti and General Motors
Despite the previous rejection of Andretti – which even led to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice – family patriarch Mario has been given a role at General Motors. The 1978 world champion will have an advisory role within the newest Formula 1 team, similar to Flavio Briatore at Alpine.
“My first love was Formula 1, and now, seventy years later, the paddock is still my favorite place,” he said in an official press release. “I am very pleased with the upcoming project. To still be involved in Formula 1 at this stage of my life – I have to pinch myself, otherwise I would think I’m dreaming.
