Andretti-Cadillac responds after Formula 1 rejects its entry for 2025

Formula 1 rejected Andretti Autosports’ bid to join as an 11th team yesterday in a long, and at times insulting, statement. It said that Andretti would not bring value to the championship and doesn’t believe the team would be competitive. So of course Andretti-Cadillac issued an official response:

“Andretti Cadillac has reviewed the information Formula One Management Limited has shared and strongly disagree with its contents. Andretti and Cadillac are two successful global motorsports organizations committed to placing a genuine American works team in F1, competing alongside the world’s best. We are proud of the significant progress we have already made on developing a highly competitive car and power unit with an experienced team behind it, and our work continues at pace.

“Andretti Cadillac would also like to acknowledge and thank the fans who have expressed their support.”

On a more personal level, Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti (the only American to ever win a driver’s championship) weighed in.

“I’m devastated. I won’t say anything else because I can’t find any other words besides devastated,” he wrote in a tweet.

Despite the rejection, Andretti-Cadillac’s statement shows that the team is continuing to work on its car. The Athletic reported earlier this year that Andretti already employed 120 people dedicated to the effort, with 50 of those being GM employees working on the power unit. Wind tunnel testing for the 2025 car has been ongoing, and even though GM’s powertrain wouldn’t be done until 2028, the team has reportedly been working with Renault to field an engine in their car before then.

As of now, though, it’s unclear if Andretti-Cadillac will ever see the grid of an F1 race. Formula 1 left the possibility of a 2028 entry open once the Cadillac powertrain is part of the equation, but there’s no guarantee that Andretti’s bid would be accepted then.