If Cadillac hoped to lean on the Andretti machine it already owns, Formula 1’s balance sheet has other ideas.
Andretti Global’s Formula E boss Roger Griffiths says the incoming Cadillac F1 operation won’t be able to tap into much of the existing Andretti ecosystem without walking straight into a compliance minefield. The culprit is predictable and immovable: F1’s cost cap.
“Certainly, in the early days, we had those conversations,” Griffiths told RacingNews365, reflecting on plans to share expertise across Andretti’s programs. “But there’s one thing that’s causing a massive headache… and that’s the cost cap.” The way it’s policed, he added, makes “joint support, transfer of information, transfer of technology” incredibly difficult, demanding “really clear boundaries between the various programmes.”
Welcome to modern F1, where the trickiest bit of joining the grid isn’t designing a quick car—it’s diagramming an org chart the auditors will accept.
On paper, the crossover looked enticing. Andretti’s Formula E team just finished its 11th season in an FIA championship built around electric tech; F1 moves to a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electric power deployment in its new-era hybrids. But even something as innocuous as reusing control software, processes or shared R&D can trigger cost-cap attribution questions. If a slice of FE-developed code or methodology lands in the F1 project, the FIA can ask whether its development spend should count against the F1 cap.
And those numbers matter. Overspend, and you’re into penalties that range from points deductions for minor breaches to brutal sanctions for major ones. It’s why teams build firewalls as much as they build front wings.
Griffiths says the dialogue hasn’t stopped—“it doesn’t prevent us from talking”—but the latitude is limited, even under one corporate umbrella. Dan Towriss, the TWG Motorsports CEO now overseeing Andretti’s racing portfolio, has been part of those discussions about how to keep programs aligned without crossing the regulatory streams. The short answer: carefully.
The irony is that Formula E helped power Andretti’s rise with the FIA in the first place. The team’s stint as a manufacturer, the global footprint, the talent pipeline—it all hardened Andretti’s case for a grand prix entry. That ambition now carries a Cadillac badge, but the marching orders haven’t changed: do it by the book.
So Cadillac F1 will arrive with family nearby but not on speed dial. Knowledge can be shared conceptually; tools, tech and headcount can’t easily hop the fence. In 2025, competitive advantage in F1 is as much about governance as it is about grip. And right now, the smart play for Cadillac and Andretti is keeping the walls high—and the accountants happy.
