"There's always Plan B and C": When Michael Andretti refused to give up on F1 dream

Michael Andretti's Cadillac F1 dream officially came true on March 7, unfortunately, only after his exit from the project in September last year. However, his failed attempts to get into F1 as a team owner date back to November 2021, when his bid to buy Sauber fell through "48 hours" before the official announcement.

Andretti was in negotiations with the Swiss team since the first quarter of 2021. However, last-minute "control issues", not financial issues, snapped the to-be sale like a twig. In an interview with EPARTRADE in December of that year, the IndyCar legend, who owned Andretti Autosport, emphasized how this was only a blip in his path to F1.

"There's always a Plan B and C. So we're definitely still attacking it. We'll see what happens, but yeah, I'm not going to give up on it. There could be opportunities that come down the road that aren't here right now we're just going to keep looking for those opportunities," Michael Andretti said. [5:36 onwards]

Two months later, in February 2022, Andretti submitted an official proposal to the FIA to get his F1 team into the sport in 2024. The development was made public by his father, Mario Andretti. It was in October 2023 that the FIA finally said that Andretti Global met the required criteria to be F1's 11th team.

However, come January 2024, Michael's bid for the General Motors-backed rebranded Cadillac F1 team was rejected, with the FIA raising concerns about competitiveness and value addition to the sport. The 1991 CART champion sensed "political" tension with Formula One Management and finally stepped down as chairman and CEO in September 2024.

His partner, Dan Towriss, renewed Cadillac's F1 talks immediately after and got the bid officially approved in March this year.

Michael Andretti tries to embrace 'weird' retirement feeling upon IndyCar return in 2025

Michael Andretti at the Formula E World Championship 2024 Portland E-Prix - Source: Getty

Michael Andretti made his first appearance at a racing event, IndyCar's 2025 season-opening race at St. Petersburg, since departing Andretti Global in September 2024. The winningest driver in the CART era was at the race as a fan for the first time in decades and couldn't believe how it felt having no schedule.

Andretti said (via Associated Press):

"No headaches. It’s weird that I have no schedule. I’m not used to it, like, I don’t know what to do. (As an owner) you’re always tense. You’re always thinking about what you’ve got to do next. Now it’s not my problem. I’m enjoying it a lot. More than I expected."

His father, Mario Andretti, recently thanked him for piloting IndyCar's Andretti Global and birthing the Cadillac F1 dream, which helped the 85-year-old be involved in the sport closely after retiring as a driver. Mario is the director of the Cadillac F1 team and will be involved in an advisory role, including giving his say in the driver line-up for 2026.