F1 - GP (General Purpose)

Chode ^ | 8/5/2009 | Chode

[Chode]

This will be a general purpose thread for F1 news and pings that really don't require a thread of their own.

[Bob434]

Lol @ the strike-through

[mabarker1]

🤪😁

[Chode]

[mabarker1]

LOL !!!

[mabarker1]

Formula 1 announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with General Motors (GM) to support bringing GM/Cadillac as the 11th team to the Formula 1 grid in 2026.
Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024.
Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process and will provide further updates in due course.

Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media:
“With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport.
“We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1. We are excited to move forward with the application process for the GM/Cadillac team to enter the Championship in 2026.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1:
“General Motors and Cadillac’s commitment to this project is an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport. We look forward to seeing the progress and growth of this application, certain of the full collaboration and support of all the parties involved.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA:
“General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners. I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship. All parties, including the FIA, will continue to work together to ensure the process progresses smoothly.”
Mark Reuss, President of General Motors:
“As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world. This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”

Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Global’s motorsport business:
“We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1. Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world. We appreciate the FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.”

[Bullish]

Maybe GM should focus on making good cars for a change instead of lofty F1 aspirations?
Their quality has been nose diving since the 80s.

[Big Red Badger]

Andretti would have been a better Choice!

[Chode]

i just felt a turbulence in the Force...

[Yo-Yo]

So even though Andretti was going to bring in GM as a partner, he's out?

F1 must have something personal against the Andretti family.

Why General Motors has got the green light that Andretti did not

Several key changes to the original Andretti-Cadillac pitch have triggered a change of attitude from F1

Jonathan Noble
Nov 25, 2024, 3:02 PM
Upd: Nov 25, 2024, 5:32 PM

Formula 1’s statement on Monday that it is moving forward with plans to allow a General Motors entry could be viewed as a complete turnaround in attitude from series bosses.

It was only back in January that FOM declared an application by Andretti-Cadillac to enter F1 was rejected because it did not feel that what was proposed added value to the championship.

In a press release issued at the time that was primarily related to 2025, F1 said: “Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the championship.

“The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the applicant would be a competitive participant.”

The rejection at the time triggered controversy and left Andretti hitting back – and taking its complaints to American politicians – in its bid to force a rethink. It also kept pushing on with its car preparations for 2026 at its new Silverstone base, even though there seemed to be no route for it to get an entry.

Fast forward to now, and F1’s attitude is very different. Where once the door was firmly shut in Andretti’s face despite General Motors’ involvement, now there are open arms.

So what has changed?

Part of it is down to the personalities involved, but more of it involves the shifts in the concept of the project that makes it a very different prospect in F1's eyes.

It was not lost on anyone that in the three-page statement that FOM put out on Monday regarding the entry, there was not a single reference to the Andretti name.

Instead, the only hint about the involvement of any of the previous parties was a line about ‘partners at TWG Global’ – which is the company run by Dan Towriss, who took over operations at Andretti Global when Michael Andretti recently took a step back.

Michael Andretti and F1 had never particularly seen eye-to-eye on matters, but it was his decision to move away from day-to-day involvement in the squad that set in motion the chain of events that has led to today.

For Andretti's exit opened the door for Towriss to take a pragmatic approach and realise that, if he was going to find a way to convince F1 to get an entry approved, things would have to be done in a different way with a much greater involvement from General Motors.

Autosport understands that key to getting F1 interested was in Towriss working with General Motors to change the nature of the deal. So where originally it was an Andretti car that would eventually hope to run a General Motors engine, but would have customer Renaults to begin with, the project being put on the table now is nothing like that.

This is now for a General Motors car, that would likely become a full works team from 2028 – even if initially it means customer Ferrari or Honda engines in the interim.

The same parties involved yes, but from F1’s perspective two totally different prospects when it comes to adding value to the series.

Let us not forget that this was exactly what FOM was saying all the way back in January though – that there was a way that it felt the GM involvement could be positioned to get the application over the line.

“We would look differently on an application for the entry of a team into the 2028 championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM works team or as a GM customer team designing all allowable components in-house,” said F1 at the time.

“In this case there would be additional factors to consider in respect of the value that the applicant would bring to the championship, in particular in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM to the sport as a PU supplier.”

This then proved key, with even previous Andretti sceptic and Liberty CEO Greg Maffei helping getting it moving before his recent departure. Suggestions that his exit was a factor in the project getting F1 approval are understood to be wide of the mark.

GM has certainly made a big push itself to get it over the line, and promised the kind of investment and groundbreaking levels of involvement that F1 would love to see.

The manufacturer's president Mark Reuss said on Monday: “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence.

“It’s an honour for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world.

“This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”

Towriss added: “We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1.

“Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world. We appreciate FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.”

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem also played a role in changing the scope of the deal as he is understood to have been key in pushing GM down the works engine route despite the original rejection of Andretti.

And while the Andretti name will not form a part of the new GM plan, it will not be totally expunged from the project.

The 1978 F1 world champion Mario Andretti is to serve as a director on the team’s board in a non-executive role and not involved in the day-to-day operations.

Speaking about it, the veteran said: “My first love was Formula 1 and now – 70 years later – the F1 paddock is still my happy place. I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss. To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

While Michael Andretti will not be seeing through his ambitions to become an F1 team boss, he vowed on Monday to give his full support to it.

Posting on X, he said: “The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team.

“I’m very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!”

[Henchster]

It’s not the Andretti family, it’s Michael.

Having friends that know them, Mario is super cool, relaxed and friendly. Michael is snotty, arrogant and bitchy.

I’d bet he waltzed into an FIA meeting trying to tell them he was starting an F1 team, rubbing everyone the wrong way immediately.

[Lockbox]

Congratulations Mario and 👀 Michael.

[mabarker1]

See Post 6369

[mabarker1]

I have always considered bitchyboy as a class A1 JERK!!! All the way back to his CART days.

[Big Red Badger]

I worked for John Andretti in the Hall/VDS
First Year and He Was Also a Real piece of work.
RIP John

[Chode]

thx...

[Chode]

*

[Paal Gulli]

Two years from now F1 goes “all-in” on EVs, and the EV market is right now collapsing before out eyes. Cadillac must want to help FIA rearrange the deck chairs on the HMS F1 as she goes under.

[Yo-Yo]

We already have Formula E and it’s floundering, so I doubt F1 will go full EV in the next few years.

What they are doing is to move to 100% synthetic race fuel that is made from renewables, not from crude oil, to be more ‘sustainable.’

I believe what they run now is a ethanol-gasoline blend.

[Henchster]

From Dan Lawrence at GPToday this morning:

But why no Michael?

Well, his allegedly brash way of trying to shout and blast his way into the sport didn’t sit well with F1 and his name alone didn’t carry the significant value that the likes of Liberty Media craves from its entrants.

His lack of involvement must sting, especially since his 1978 F1 Drivers’ Champion father Mario is still involved as a director “not involved in day-to-day operations.”

....

A star of the American single-seater scene, Michael Andretti embarked upon a short-lived 1993 F1 campaign with McLaren.

The American didn’t get to grips with the series, no doubt hindered by his choice to remain living in the States and commuting across the Atlantic for his Grand Prix activities and he was replaced before the season ended.

His attempt to enter the fold as a team owner was equally unsuccessful, and only in his absence has the rebranded effort succeeded.

....

One thing that remains clear is that Michael Andretti won’t be in the paddock to enjoy it.

[Paal Gulli]

Yes, they’ve been burning 10% ethanol since 2022. But for 2026 they’re dramatically ramping up the KERS power from 120kW to 350, and planning to reduce fuel capacity from 100kg to 70.

“Sustainable” is a contrived definition, like “green” energy, “environmental justice” and “assault weapon” (aren’t all weapons made for assaulting?). But it’s not possible to make synthetic fuel that yields more energy than was used in its making, else you’d have perpetual motion. Its a stalking horse, a head feint, more meaningless virtue-signalling.

The most absurd bit is they’re transforming the sport into a paragon of “environmentally responsibility.” But that’s not what sport is about, is it? Sport is about entertainment, and entertainment is about escapism, and escapism is the polar opposite of being reminded of your social and environmental responsibilities. Motor racing always was about danger and excitement, not who can go the fastest while emitting the fewest carbons. This is a bastardization of the very concept of motor racing.

Yet all the sheeple are lapping it up.