Woah, Andretti is teaming up with Cadillac to pursue an F1 entry!

Brace yourself, because this is a fairly Big Development: Andretti and Cadillac have announced that they want to pair up to form a new F1 team, only days after the president of the FIA hinted for the first time that he would look into expanding the current 20-car grid.

F1 has been growing rapidly in the US, of course: last season saw the arrival of the Miami Grand Prix on the calendar, with a third Stateside race launching in Las Vegas in 2023.

The appetite for the sport over there has been largely fuelled by the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive, but the concrete interest of two massive American names like this is a new threshold entirely for F1.

Chairman and CEO of Andretti Global, Michael Andretti, has been vocal about his wish to enter F1 for some time, and the partnership with Cadillac (the brand selected to represent General Motors) looks like a sure sign that the bid is being taken seriously.

A joint statement released today says the team would be based in the US with a support facility in the UK, and that it would aim to compete in F1 “as soon as practical with at least one American driver".

Andretti-Cadillac will submit an official Expression of Interest when the FIA opens up a formal process to attract new entries, although it’s not yet clear when that will happen.

“We are continuing to grow Andretti Global and its family of racing teams and always have our eyes on what’s next,” said Michael Andretti. “I feel very strongly that we are suited to be a new team for Formula One and can bring value to the series and our partners, and excitement for the fans.

I welcome the news of the @Cadillac and @FollowAndretti partnership and the @FIA looks forward to further discussions on the FIA @F1 World Championship Expressions of Interest process pic.twitter.com/LQgbYDW0qM

— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) January 5, 2023

“I’m proud to have GM and Cadillac alongside us as we pursue this goal. GM and Andretti share a legacy born out of the love of racing. We now have the opportunity to combine our motorsport passions and dedication to innovation to build a true American F1 bid.

“Together, we will continue to follow procedures and steps put forth by the FIA during the evaluation process. In the meantime, we continue to optimistically prepare should we be fortunate enough to have Andretti Cadillac formally approved as a Formula One contender.”

Meanwhile Mark Reuss, president of GM, added: “General Motors is honoured to team with Andretti Global on this historic moment in racing. We have a long, rich history in motorsports and engineering innovation, and we are thrilled with the prospect of pairing with Andretti Global to form an American F1 team that will help spur even more global interest in the series and the sport.

“Cadillac and F1 both have growing global appeal. Our brand has a motorsports pedigree that’s more than a century in the making, and we would be proud to have the opportunity to bring our distinct American innovation and design to F1.”

What do we reckon folks, is this good news for F1?