Mario Andretti has a role in the Cadillac F1 team (Image: Getty)
Mario ‘non-executive role’ in the new Cadillac F1 team will ensure that he is not involved in the day-to-day running of the organisation, as the 1978 world champion ‘doesn’t want a job’.
The 84-year-old’s frustrations boiled over when Andretti were denied entry onto the grid earlier this season, but after son and co-founder Michael Andretti stepped back from the project, progress was made. Now, a Cadillac-branded General Motors team has been provisionally accepted for 2026
While the Andretti name is no longer attached to the project, 12-time Grand Prix winner Mario was appointed as a director on the board when the proposal was accepted by F1 and FOM.
Reacting to the news on the X social media platform, Andretti said: “I feel very lucky that I’ve been able to stick around for this long and do what I love for so long. And the idea that the Cadillac F1 Team wants me around…
“I’ll help where I can, a non-executive role with the team, not involved in day-to-day operations (because I don’t want a job), but offering advice, inspiration, friendship anywhere I can. I am beyond fortunate.”
Discussing his latest role, he added: “My first love was Formula One and now – 70 years later – the F1 paddock is still my happy place. I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula One, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss. To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
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Michael Andretti is not attached to the revamped GM project (Image: Getty)
The Cadillac entry is an exciting moment for the sport – 2026 will be the first time that the F1 grid contains 11 teams since Caterham dropped out of the series at the end of the 2014 campaign.
In a statement released by F1, president Mark Reuss said: “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence.
More F1… [UPDATE] [STATEMENT]
“It’s an honour for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world. This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”
The Cadillac entry also offers a significant opportunity to two F1 hopefuls in a crowded driver market. Given his links to GM and Andretti and historic IndyCar success, Colton Herta is a standout option, while veterans Valtteri Bottas and could see the project as their racing liferaft.