The proposed Andretti Cadillac Racing Formula 1 entry has a signed agreement with an existing power unit supplier if it is successful, and would look to add General Motors’ expertise in future.
Andretti Global and GM announced its planned partnership on Thursday, ahead of the FIA potentially opening up Expressions of Interest to allow prospective new teams to apply to join the grid. Among the details from the announcement was GM president Mark Reuss’s explanation that Cadillac would not be a power unit supplier, at the start of the project at least.
“We have a signed agreement with a power unit supplier to begin with and then as we move forward, we bring a lot of our expertise to create things for the future as well,” Reuss said.
Michael Andretti added: “It would be more a collaboration with another manufacturer.”
Andretti previously had an agreement lined up with Renault to use its power units should it be successful in joining the grid, but it’s unclear if the Cadillac partnership impacts that. GM has a pre-existing relationship with Honda — currently only in F1 in support of Red Bull Powertrains but having kept its options open as a potential future supplier from 2026 onwards through its racing subsidiary — relating to electric vehicles but Reuss says that’s not a precursor to an F1 tie-up.
“On the EV part of it we do have a larger partnership with Honda but also compete against them in series like IndyCar as well, so we have that natural respect and relationship which is not problematic at all. We’ll talk about the engine piece of this at a later date.”
While power unit manufacturers had to register with the FIA to be part of discussions for the 2026 regulations, it doesn’t make it impossible for Cadillac to produce its own power unit in the future, to have a say in the direction of the next set of rules.