The Formula 1 team bosses agree on one point: “The more power unit manufacturers we have, the better,” says McLaren CEO Zak Brown. And yet: Although General Motors (GM) has committed to building its own engine from 2028 and thus supplying the Andretti team should it be awarded a starting place, the bosses of the existing teams have a skeptical attitude towards Michael Andretti’s project has not changed.
“GM is one of the big players, no question about it. And if they want to get into the sport in 2028, then they are serious. That’s a good commitment,” says Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. But: “I haven’t changed my mind on the subject. We haven’t seen any data yet that assures us that this is all going to be really great.”
What Wolff means by this are ultimately hard facts regarding how much money GM and its partners would pay into Formula 1’s revenue pool. Because having to divide the cake among eleven teams instead of ten in the future will cost everyone who is already there money. Only if GM brings in value, as Wolff puts it, could the calculation work.
But the Austrian has unanswered questions in this regard: “What does the pitch look like exactly? What are the hard numbers? How much popularity could Formula 1 gain as a result? How much is the name worth? Will this make the sport more attractive? What are the facts? If these facts are answered positively, then I am sure that Formula 1 will consider it.”
Because: Even if the existing teams have an opinion on whether Formula 1 should include Andretti or not, the decision is ultimately made by rights holder Liberty Media. The FIA has already given its blessing, so the final say now rests with Liberty. The teams have no formal say.
Williams team boss James Vowles is on Wolff’s side when he says: “GM is a company, a manufacturer, with which our sport could grow. But my opinion about an eleventh team has not changed. Ultimately it’s about Williams’ finances that I need to focus on.”
An attitude that Wolff understands: “We now have to wait and see whether the rights holder thinks this is a good application or not. Because as James says: For many teams, the payouts are diluted by an eleventh team that it can make the difference between large financial losses or smaller losses.”
Andretti and the FIA’s calculation is clear: up to now they have always been confronted with skepticism because it was questioned how much value a private team can bring, but they want this skepticism with GM’s commitment to not just putting a sticker on the car stick, but to develop a power unit yourself.
At the same time, GM has emphasized that it only wants to do Formula 1 as a partner of Andretti and will not join in without the approval of the American team. An announcement that puts pressure on Liberty Media. When Andretti was still a purely private team, it was much easier to argue for denial of eleventh place on the grid.
“Every single engine manufacturer is welcome in Formula 1,” explains Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur. “But it’s not the same story as the eleventh team. These are two issues that have to be kept apart. The real question concerns the engine manufacturer. Can we get a new engine manufacturer into Formula 1?”
The range of power units in Formula 1 was much more limited. As of today, six engine manufacturers are registered for ten teams in 2026: Audi (Sauber), Ferrari (Ferrari, Haas), Honda (Aston Martin), Mercedes (Mercedes, McLaren, Williams), Red Bull Ford (Red Bull, AlphaTauri) and Renault (Alpine).