Engine talks between Renault and Andretti-Cadillac continue
Despite an expired pre-contract with the Renault group for the purchase of power units, the French engine-maker claims to be continuing talks with representatives of Andretti-Cadillac, with a view to entering F1 as the eleventh team on the grid.
Andretti’s road to get to F1 is extremely long and difficult. The American team, notably present in Formula E and IndyCar, has wanted to join the premier category of motor sport for several years. The attempt to buy Sauber in 2021 was a failure.
The Andretti family, therefore, wants to launch its own stable, after Mohammed Ben Sulayem announced his intention to see new teams join the grid. To have a serious application, Michael Andretti obtained an association agreement with the General Motors group and the Cadillac brand.
The candidacy of Andretti-Cadillac has been accepted by the FIA. But they still have to convince the FOM and Liberty Media. Even if the economic owners of F1 cannot legally oppose the arrival of an eleventh team in the category, they can renegotiate the Concorde agreements and increase the anti-dilution fund, currently at 200 million dollars, for any new team wanting to join the championship.
A new agreement with Renault for the engine?
Andretti also had a pre-contract with the Renault group, for the purchase of an engine. However, the agreement between the French manufacturer and the American team had expired due to the long period that passed before validation by the FIA. In an interview with Autosport, Bruno Famin, Executive Director of Alpine F1 Team, confirmed that the Renault group was ready to reopen negotiations with Andretti-Cadillac.
« We are discussing with Andretti and General Motors and we are happy to talk to them. If they have an entry, we are happy to resume discussions. For the time being, it’s a bit on stand-by, and it’s not because of us: it’s because the length of the process is much, much, much longer than anticipated. The FIA took much longer to respond than it had initially stated, now the ball is in F1’s court. If they have an entry, we are happy to discuss an agreement with Andretti », said Bruno Famin.
« What I said last time, is that we had a pre-contract, which has expired, so at the moment, we have no commitment or any legal engagement with them. If they have a registration, it’s because they will have shown that they will bring a lot of added value to F1, and that the value of the championship and the teams will not be diluted because of this », the Frenchman continued.
If this agreement with Renault were not to be concluded, General Motors is ready to produce its own power units, following the new engine regulation of 2026.
