If the application does move forward it will not be an entirely straightforward entrance. Any new team joining the F1 grid must pay a $200million fee straight off, which is then split between the teams to offset the money they would each lose from splitting F1 revenues further. Before that, the application has to be approved by not just the FIA, but F1 and the teams themselves before it can move forward.
In response to the news, F1 issued a statement reinforcing that whether or not the Andretti/Cadillac application is approved, will not be decided by the FIA alone.
The statement said: "There is great interest in the F1 project at this time with a number of conversations continuing that are not as visible as others.
"We all want to ensure the championship remains credible and stable and any new entrant request will be assessed on criteria to meet those objectives by all the relevant stakeholders.
"Any new entrant request requires the agreement of both F1 and the FIA."
It would be Cadillac’s second move into global motorsport in recent years, following on from it joining the World Endurance Championship in 2023 to compete in the top level LMH class. It would also be the first time F1 had seen a new team join the grid since fellow US outfit Haas back in 2016.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.