Michael Andretti’s decision to step down from running his race team on a day-to-day basis will have no immediate bearing on its bid to join the Formula 1 grid.
Autosport has learned that Andretti’s Silverstone factory continues to recruit staff in a bid to have a full 2026 chassis ready before the New Year.
Former F1 and IndyCar driver Andretti has built one of the most successful motorsport teams across the world and is currently competing in multiple championships.
But he has failed in bids for his team to race in F1 by first failing to acquire Sauber before seeing his plans for an 11th team halted by F1.
Andretti’s application had initially received the green light from the FIA in October 2023 before the governing body performed a u-turn on its decision along with a rejection from Formula One Management in January this year, rather brutally saying it believed the team would not be competitive or add value to the championship.
The news was a blow to Andretti, which had formed a new F1 base at Silverstone with a view of competing in F1 from the 2025 season onwards.
Confusingly, despite having a remit to grow the series, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who had previously led calls for more teams on the grid, recently urged Andretti and its partners, General Motors in the form of its Cadillac brand, to «go and buy another team, not to come as the 11th team».
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz / Motorsport Images
After Andretti’s shock departure, insiders say this is not as a consequence of the failed bid to enter F1 and that plans are still going ahead in the hope of getting the approval to race in 2026.
In a bid to ensure the team is ready should it be granted permission to join the F1 grid, the Andretti operation is still operating as usual.
The team has been growing at an average of seven new starters every week and now totals over 260 full-time people working on the project.
Furthermore, the team is working 16-hour days in the wind tunnel in Cologne, as it is not yet bound by F1 testing restrictions and is developing parts such as nose cones and wishbones that have been crash-tested at the FIA-approved F1 crash testing facility at Cranfield.
The team is also working on suspension and braking systems and roll hoop constructions for the 2026 regulations.
In another huge step, the team hopes to have its first chassis out of the mould before January — well in advance of some of its rivals.
Andretti is now hoping for both the FIA and FOM to revise the decision to prevent them from joining F1 as an 11th team.
In stepping back, what Andretti has done is remove himself from the equation, having drawn particular heat from F1 and rival team bosses.
Andretti Cadillac logo
Photo by: Andretti Autosport
By handing the operation over to Dan Towriss, the new-look team could look to speed up the process to become a GM works team with its own engine from 2028, something that F1 had stipulated in its rejection letter.
What now remains to be seen is if the new ownership — without Andretti at the helm — or indeed the Andretti name at all — go back to FOM with a second attempt at making the cut.