General Motors’ bid to enter Formula 1 has picked up fresh momentum, with talks between the series and the manufacturer understood at an advanced stage over a 2026 entry as an 11th team.
GM has been partnered with Andretti Global as the American motorsports powerhouse has been knocking on F1’s door for some time.
The bid from the organisation to enter F1 from 2026 onwards was originally accepted by the FIA but rejected by F1 itself on commercial grounds. In its reasoning for the rejection, F1 felt Andretti would not be able to be competitive in the medium term and would therefore not bring enough value to the series.
Watch: How Hamilton’s Performance Fights Back “Shelf Life” Comments – F1 Las Vegas GP Practice Reaction
The Andretti family didn’t take no for an answer and its aggressive campaigning is understood to have rubbed F1 management the wrong way. However, as first reported by the Associated Press, Andretti’s recent exit as the figurehead for his eponymous team appears to have handed the organisation’s prospective bid a chance to start with a clean slate.
In September, Andretti handed the reins of Andretti Global to majority owner Dan Towriss, the CEO of Group 1001, who first teamed up with Andretti through sponsorship by the group’s subsidiary Gainbridge.
Towriss was spotted in the Las Vegas Grand Prix paddock on Thursday, and Motorsport.com can confirm talks have taken place to explore what an entry by the group and GM could look like.
Michael Andretti, Owner Andretti Global with Mike Krack, Aston Martin F1 Team Principal
Photo by: Erik Junius
F1 initially left the door open for Andretti to try applying again for a grid slot in 2028 when GM would be ready to supply works engines.
But sources have pointed out that current talks could lead to a GM-backed outfit joining as early as 2026, possibly under the Cadillac name that was initially connected to the Andretti bid.
Despite F1’s rejection, Andretti Global continued building up its F1 programme at its Silverstone factory, where the team had been hiring numerous staff, including former F1 stalwart Pat Symonds.
If the GM team is to enter the series in 2026, it would likely have to take over the existing Silverstone project because of the short lead times involved, with Andretti having already run a model in Toyota’s wind tunnel in Cologne.
GM also won’t be ready to supply works engines before 2028, so if accepted the squad would have to do a deal for…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Motorsport.com – Formula 1 – Stories…