Formula 1 will soon have an 11th team, General Motors will be announced soon

In recent days, discussions about the entry of an 11th team in Formula 1 have resumed with renewed vigor. Reuters reported that General Motors (GM) is getting closer to entering Formula 1 as the 11th team for the 2026 season by reviving its partnership with Andretti Autosport.

What has changed since the refusal of F1?

This information follows Andretti’s candidacy rejected by Liberty Media last January, mainly due to concerns about the competitiveness and added value of the team. However, recent developments, including the possibility for GM to supply an engine from 2028, have led to a reassessment of the proposal.

Michael Andretti, former F1 driver and 1991 CART champion, announced in September his withdrawal from the daily operations of Andretti Global, entrusting the management to its commercial director Dan Towriss. The latter is present in the Las Vegas Grand Prix paddock, reinforcing the team’s commitment to the project. Andretti has also put together the first pieces of a Formula 1 team by recruiting massively in new premises in F1 Valley, England.

Meanwhile, Liberty Media, the owner of F1, is going through a period of transition with the departure of its long-time CEO, Greg Maffei, planned for the end of the year, but especially, the case of Andretti’s entry refusal in F1 had been brought to court, while the FIA had given its support and green light. The reasons were therefore not technical but rather arbitrary, and F1 truly has no right to refuse a new entry in the regulations if the FIA gives it the green light.

More open teams

Formula 1 teams also seem more open to the idea of a new team, provided that it brings added value to the championship. Toto Wolff, director of the Mercedes team, said: “I believe if a team can add to the championship, especially if GM decides to join as a team owner, it’s a different story.” He added that as long as it contributes to the growth of the sport’s popularity and revenue, no team will oppose it. However, he stressed that the final decision lies not with the teams, but with the governing bodies of F1.

Currently, the entry fee for a new team is set at $200 million, a sum deemed insufficient by some teams given the current valuation of the stables, some exceeding $1 billion. This issue could be re-examined, notably with the introduction of new engine regulations in 2026 and the renegotiation of the “Concorde” commercial agreement. If GM’s entry is confirmed, the team could use engines from another manufacturer until 2028, before switching to Cadillac engines. The F1 had indeed expressed doubts about the involvement of a team without a strong engine supplier.

Andretti already has a base in Silverstone, employing several people, including Pat Symonds, former F1 technical director, as an engineering consultant. Toto Wolff also mentioned: “I know GM. GM is great.” Fred Vasseur, director of Ferrari, added: “If it’s good for the sport, good for the spectacle, good for business, and adds value on the sporting level, we all agree.”

An entry announced in the coming weeks

Zak Brown has been keeping suspense alive in the past hours, stating on Sky Sport TV that his Indycar team has received some briefs on the subject and that the Cadillac guys are smiling.

General Motors has a great history in motorsport, Brown told the British media. I think it’s great, more competition. Something that will excite the fans. They love new Grand Prix, new engines, new racing teams, new race car drivers, so I think it will be exciting.

He stated that an announcement could come soon on the topic. « I think an announcement is probably imminent and it will be exciting to have another manufacturer alongside Audi joining our sport. »

« I more or less know what I hear through word of mouth. We haven’t been officially informed of anything, but we are working in partnership with GM for our IndyCar team, so I have seen them here and they seem to have a big smile on their face.

The entry of this new team could therefore be approved as soon as the new regulations come into effect in 2026, with the supply of a Honda engine initially, and then a in-house (GM) engine at a later stage.

It should be noted that the American market, both North and South, is becoming increasingly lucrative for Formula 1. American manufacturers are therefore becoming more involved, as is the case with Ford, which has signed a technical partnership with Red Bull, and with Andretti who wanted to partner with General Motors.