From the words of Mario Andretti, the GM-Cadillac project is starting to take shape. There are many necessary steps that the eleventh and ambitious new F1 team will have to face by 2026. Among these, of course, the choice regarding the supplier of the power units, which, according to the former Italian-American driver, could be Ferrari.
What choices on the power unit table? GM-Cadillac and Andretti focus on Ferrari
In the end the possibility of having an eleventh team on the grid was materialized. From 2026, General Motors will join the Formula 1 world championship through the Cadillac brand. The resistance of the ten teams and Liberty Media was in vain. The Andretti family suffered in part, with Michael forced to take a step back. In any case, Andretti Global, which previously drove the project at the forefront, has not disappeared completely. In fact, the American team will provide its headquarters Silverstone at General Motors. Furthermore, if Michael Andretti will remain on the sidelines for now, his father Mario has been appointed ambassador and super consultant for the project.
Mario Andretti, F1 world champion with Lotus in 1978, has leaked some details regarding the new GM-Cadillac adventure in Formula 1. Among the directions to take is the crucial choice of the Power Unit. Currently the motorsport panorama for 2026 is quite varied. Mercedes, which will have Alpine, McLaren and Williams on its side, and which therefore will hardly take on the commitment of a new customer team. Honda will return to the scene with Aston Martin, Ford will begin working on the power unit of Red Bull and Racing Bulls. Finally, there will be Ferrari with only Haas as a customer team, given that Sauber will definitively become Audi also from an engine point of view.
Given the options on the table, Mario Andretti already seems to have very clear ideas. "We're talking about it: it is not defined yet, but it is the goal". Andretti would like to leverage the never-ending relationship that ties him to Maranello. In fact, the eighty-four-year-old raced for the Rossa in 1971 and 1972, obtaining among other things his first victory on his debut in the South African GP. Ten years later, Enzo Ferrari called him to replace the unfortunate Didier Pironi. Andretti contributed to the victory of the constructors' title, scoring a great Pole Position at Monza and finishing the race in third place.My history with Ferrari and my relationship with Mr. Ferrari have a great weight . There are many factors here that make a lot of sense. It will be the best possible solution". So Andretti on the possibility of having Maranello as a supplier in 2026.
An unprecedented situation: two years as a customer team and then the engine signed by General Motors
Certainly, given the suppliers' table, Ferrari could be the best option for GM-Cadillac. However, the reflection that needs to be made sees an unprecedented situation. The new American team is in fact planning to use a customer power unit for the first two seasons. In 2028, however, the GM-Cadillac cars should show up on the grid with an engine signed by General Motors itself. A scenario, the latter, that leaves room for at least two doubts. The first is of a performance nature: the team would find itself struggling, barring sporting miracles, in 2028 with a power unit that has never been used, while in the first two debut seasons it will boast a customer engine that will certainly be more competitive than the future home-made option.
Introducing a new power unit is not so easy, even taking into account that the 2026 regulations will simplify the construction of the latter. But let's see what happened to Honda in 2014: many disastrous years spent chasing failures and unforeseen events before arriving at successes with Red Bull. And then there is the more recent case of Audi. Mattia Binotto himself has declared that the goal is to fight for the world championship by 2030. In short, this leap between being a customer team and becoming a full-fledged manufacturer in 2028 could be complicated.
Finally, the second question: are we sure that Ferrari would be okay with this? Of course, it would certainly be an operation capable of guaranteeing a considerable economic return. At the same time, as for other potential suppliers, it would mean exposing their engine work to a manufacturer that, in parallel, is developing its own. In a competition like Formula 1, even these types of precautions can count a lot when thinking about the long term. That said, the moments of glory experienced by Andretti with Ferrari in the 70s and 80s will certainly not be enough to conclude the agreement. The road is still long.
Source: Formulapassion.it
