Just days after FIA President Mohammed Bin Sulayem announced plans to add a new team to the F1 grid, Andretti Autosport broke the highly anticipated news. The team have joint hands with American Car giant General Motors as the Andretti-Cadillac team.
Andretti Autosports has been a powerhouse in IndyCar. But the team has been looking for the opportunity to join F1. However, F1’s closed-door club made it a difficult task for the team.
The team’s entry in F1 is based on FIA and F1’s approval. But after receiving backing from Cadillac, the case for Andretti to become F1’s 11th team has become stronger.
Furthermore, the team has broken ground on a state-of-the-art facility in Indiana which will be the epicentre of the team’s development.
Also Read: Can Andretti with Cadillac ensure his dream F1 entry after multiple snubs?
Andretti-Cadillac break ground in their upcoming $200 Million facility
In August 2022, Andretti Global, the parent company of Andretti-Cadillac announced their plans to build a central facility. The 575,000-square-foot facility in Fishers, Indiana will be the headquarters of all Andretti racing programmes.
The facility will be the centre of Andretti’s IndyCar, IndyCar Lights, F1, FE and their IMSA programmes. The entire cost of developing the facility is estimated to be $200 Million.
But the American racing team have received the backing of Private equity firm Guggenheim Partners. Guggenheim will finance the costs of their new facility and foot their $200 Million F1 entry fee.
The ground for the facility was broken in December and the facility could be operational by 2025. Andretti Global plans to employ a workforce of 500 by the end of 2026.
With strong backing from Guggenheim and Cadillac and a new facility underway, Andretti looks like a strong candidate to make it to the F1 grid. And with a vision focused on uniting the American fanbase, it could be a commercial success for F1.
Also Read: $600 million deal collapse that forced Michael Andretti to seek Cadillac’s support for F1 entry
Andretti’s outline for an ‘All American’ F1 team
Andretti-Cadillac plans to craft an ‘All American’ F1 team. The cars will be produced in their upcoming US facility, and the team plan to sign only American drivers. This could see talents like Colton Herta finally race in F1.
Michael Andretti claims to have personally chosen the site at Fishers, which is just 25 Miles away from the famed Indianapolis Speedway. He said, “Indiana holds an important place in the history of racing and in my career as a driver and an owner.”
He adds, “I’m happy to confirm that the Racing Capital of the World will continue to be the home of our global racing efforts for a long time to come.” But most importantly, it will be a big boost to F1’s growing American market.
The USA is already F1’s biggest revenue source. And from 2023, the USA will host 3 races in Miami, COTA and Las Vegas. Thus an all American
The sight of American drivers onboard a US-based team’s car driving in front of home fans will surely up F1’s appeal amongst its target crowd.
Also Read: Who will get to race for Andretti-Cadillac F1 team if they meet approval?
