F1 did not receive a response from Michael Andretti or a representative of General Motors since the email inviting Andretti Cadillac for a meeting in person regarding its application ended up in spam.
Strange details surrounded Formula 1’s rejection of Andretti Cadillac, including comments that questioned the team’s capacity to produce a competitive car and the Andretti family’s popularity.
A statement implying that team founder and owner Michael Andretti, who has been attending Formula 1 races for the previous two years in an attempt to get his team on the grid, did not show up for an in-person meeting to discuss the plan was one of the more peculiar points.
The team has clarified that they were unable to attend for one very simple reason: the invitation ended up in spam.
The invitation went unnoticed until after a further scan of the team’s email system, a team representative told the Associated Press. Furthermore, the invitation came from an anonymous employee instead of F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“Andretti Cadillac was] not aware that the offer of a meeting had been extended and would not decline a meeting with Formula One Management,” an Andretti Cadillac spokesperson said to the AP.
“An in-person meeting to discuss commercial matters would be and remains of paramount importance to Andretti Cadillac.”
The team remains open to holding the meeting, the spokesman added.
“We welcome the opportunity to meet with Formula One Management and have written to them confirming our interest.”
The Andretti Cadillac spokesman stated in the same report that the team’s future plans are unrelated to the reason behind the team’s Formula 1 rejection.
Although the team intended to compete only in 2026 and all of the 2025 development was carried out because the 2026 rule set had not been disclosed, the official document expresses concerns about whether or not the team’s current operations to build a car for the 2025 rule set would impede development for a 2026 car under different rules.
The most recent statement from Andretti Cadillac indicates that the team is still determined to establish itself in Formula One racing.
The process is expected to continue in some capacity, potentially through a formal proposal to enter in 2028 once GM’s powertrain program is operational or through a legal challenge, according to statements released by the team on Wednesday and the FIA itself on Thursday.
The FIA is a strong potential advocate in any future push for entry in Formula 1, having already sanctioned the operation in a process that saw the rejection of three other teams.
