F1 News: Michael Andretti issues 1st comment on Cadillac F1 entry
Michael Andretti has shared his first statement after the joint venture of Cadillac and TWG Global announced it has reached an agreement in principle to join the F1 grid.
Andretti’s application to join the field in conjunction with Cadillac was approved by the FIA last year, but the commercial side of the business run by Liberty Media rejected the team and the wording of the rejection sounded personnel.
It later came to light that Greg Maffei, Stefano Domenicali, Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and Lawrence Stroll are rumored to have colluded to keep the Andretti team out of F1. That led to a USA Government Antitrust investigation into the matter, which is still ongoing.
Despite the setback, Andretti proceeded with plans and opened a factory at Silverstone, recruiting several top engineers – including former F1 chief technical officer Pat Symonds.
Because of the Antitrust investigation, Michael Andretti confirmed he had stepped away from ownership control of Andretti Global, with Dan Towriss taking over the reins, at least until the matter is resolved.
On Monday evening, F1 and GM confirmed they had reached an agreement in principle to form the grid’s 11th team.
Michael will have no involvement with the project – however his father Mario, who is the 1978 F1 champion, will serve as a director on the team’s board.
Taking to Twitter (now X) shortly after the announcement, Michael Andretti voiced his support for those working for the team he built.
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!
— Michael Andretti (@michaelandretti) November 25, 2024