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Indianapolis Star
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'Same goal' for Marco Andretti after father's resignation from Andretti Global
INDIANAPOLIS — Michael Andretti plans to attend the Indy 500 to support his son Marco. As of now, the elder Andretti is 'relaxing in Italy,' the younger Andretti said. Since stepping down from ownership at Andretti Global, Andretti has had more leisure time. Andretti founded the motorsport team in 2003 but transitioned to an adviser role when he gave control to TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss in September. His announcement shocked the racing world but it didn't surprise Marco. 'I knew it a year before,' Marco said. Marco said the atmosphere at Andretti Global has felt the same since his father's resignation because most team members from Michael's tenure are still present. Marco said he appreciates Towriss and TWG for not cutting corners as an ownership group. 'We want to do right by them': Andretti brand key part of TWG Motorsports moving forward The Andretti family name is established in motorsport history. Michael's father, Mario Andretti, won the 1969 Indianapolis 500 and four IndyCar Series championships. Michael won 42 races and a championship in his career. Marco came on the scene in 2006 and won the IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Award. Andretti Global already has a win this season as Towriss celebrated Kyle Kirkwood's win at the Long Beach Grand Prix, the lone race not won by Alex Palou. And a second win for the team could be even sweeter for the Andretti family. Marco is hoping to win his first Indy 500 in his 20th attempt Sunday. The 38-year-old acknowledged that his father cheering him on as a supporter Memorial Day weekend excites him. Michael's decision to relinquish ownership duties doesn't affect Marco's desire to keep racing and build upon his family legacy. 'I don't think (him stepping down) really changed my approach,' Marco said. 'That's (racing) been the same goal all along for me.'
Axios
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Axios
1 for the road: F1 sprints into U.S.
Axios dropped the flag on Formula One weekend in Miami last night with an event featuring Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports — manager of GM's historic Cadillac F1 team, which is joining the F1's global grid next year as the 11th team. Why it matters: Darren Cox, founder and CEO of The Race Media, told me F1's Cadillac expansion would have been "unthinkable" just a few years ago. What he's saying: "To have an overtly American brand launching in Miami is massive for the sport," said Cox, who joined Axios' Sara Fischer in co-hosting the event, "Miami Grand Prix: Fueling the City's Global Spotlight." "F1 is growing exponentially," Cox added. "Not just fans — big brands are committing." The big picture: Accelerated by Netflix's "Drive to Survive," F1 — with races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas — is finally cracking the U.S. market after decades of effort. "With a devoted stateside following and a genuine cultural toehold, the sport has gone far beyond simply cracking a U.S. market that former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone had all but given up on," The Wall Street Journal reports. "In 2025, Formula One has put America squarely at the center of its business."
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Cadillac's Road to Formula 1
In every sense, the clock is ticking on Cadillac's entry into Formula 1 next year. In March, Cadillac, supported by General Motors and TWG Motorsports, received final approval from Formula 1, expanding the grid to 11 teams for the first time since 2016. 'As soon as we got the entry, one of the things that changed is they put up a countdown clock at the factory in Silverstone,' Dan Towriss, the chief executive of TWG Motorsports, said in an interview in April. The company is a division of TWG Global, which has a sports portfolio that includes the Chelsea Football Club and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers. 'We know exactly how many days to the engine's fired, how many days to the first race,' he said. 'That's how we have to think about it because there's so much work to do between now and then. It's moving faster than I want it to.' The Cadillac entry started life as Andretti Formula Racing two years ago. The F.I.A., the governing body of Formula 1, approved the proposal from Michael Andretti, the initial force behind the bid. A few months later, it was rejected by Formula 1. In an interview a year ago with The New York Times, Andretti said he would fight. Last fall, he stepped back as chief executive of Andretti Global, which owns teams in IndyCar, Formula E, Extreme E and Australian Supercars. He decided 'it was time to pass the baton' to his business partner Towriss. 'From Michael's standpoint, he was very magnanimous in a way,' said Towriss, who has known Andretti since 2017. 'He didn't want to stand in the way of this project. 'It was a long process, a taxing process, and so he chose to step away. He wasn't asked to step away, he wasn't asked to leave. I think he saw that a level of acceptance wasn't there for him.' Towriss said the move 'opened the door' with Formula 1. Five months later, Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1 president and chief executive, welcomed Cadillac. With the commitment of G.M. to bring in a Cadillac team, Domenicali said, 'it was an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport.' Cadillac will become the second U.S. automaker to have a presence in the sport. Ford will provide power units to Red Bull, also starting in 2026. Towriss is saddened that Andretti stepped down. 'Just tremendous respect for what the family legacy is in motorsports, for him personally, for Mario, and the family from that standpoint,' he said, referring to Andretti's father. 'My personal opinion is that it all felt a bit unfair to be singled out in that way,' he said. 'To his credit, at some point, you just have to accept the situation for what it is and move on. With his blessing, that's what we did.' Throughout the process, the team did not stand still. Workers were hired, and the facility in Silverstone, England, was opened a year ago to complement its headquarters near Indianapolis. Formula 1's approval has accelerated the project's growth. Without a guarantee from Formula 1 of acceptance, the company still had to make a commitment. 'It was not for the faint of heart,' Towriss said. 'It takes a long time to build a Formula 1 team. I don't think anybody on our side, or anybody who knows the sport, thinks you can just show up and in a short period of time, do that. 'If we had waited until the point we were approved and then said, 'Great, now let's start hiring people, let's start building,' we'd be a long way from racing at that point.' Towriss said that Graeme Lowdon, a longtime Formula 1 executive who advised the team, was a great salesperson in convincing people to join the team. Lowdon was chief executive of the now-defunct Manor Racing. He had also been a consultant on the acquisition in 2020 of the Williams Formula 1 team by Dorilton Capital, a private investment firm whose headquarters are in New York City. In December, Lowdon was announced as the team principal of Cadillac. 'At the very beginning, a big part of the advice was to tell them to start building the team now,' he said in an interview in April. 'Then my engagement changed because they said: 'OK, we're happy with all this advice. Now you're asking us to build a team. Can you go from advising to doing it?' I guess I must have earned their trust, and they must have had confidence in what I'm doing because they then asked me to be the team principal.' Being offered the position did not come out of the blue. 'Even on our entry, I was down as the team principal,' he said. 'For two years now, on our race license — and we have a U.S. race license, and an international race license — it's my picture on it. That was something that was envisaged fairly early on.' Throughout the two years, Lowdon never doubted that the bid would fail. 'There is absolutely no scenario on earth where you could keep a perfectly good sports team from competing in a world championship,' he said, although there was a consequence. 'The thing that worried me and stressed me enormously, and I have to say it took a toll on me big time, was that it's one thing saying it will definitely happen, it's another saying when. 'We completely respected the process. Our role was to answer questions, but there's only so much of that you can do. That was an unpleasant and enormously difficult period.' The team has about 350 employees, with a target of 550 by the end of the year. Pat Symonds, former chief technical officer of Formula 1, has become the executive engineering consultant. and Nick Chester, once a technical director at Renault, is the chief technical officer. 'I thought it was going to be super difficult to hire people, but it was much easier than I thought,' Lowdon said. 'The reality is, we were very lucky. We were in a position where a lot of the early discussions with key people who came on board shared the vision.' 'On the day our entry was confirmed, we wrote to them, with an old-fashioned letter. It wasn't an 'at-all' email. The reason for that is they'd all taken a bit of a leap of faith, and we wanted to show our appreciation personally.' For the first three seasons, Cadillac will be powered by Ferrari engines until G.M. builds its power unit, which will debut in 2029. Mark Reuss, the president of G.M., said in an interview in April that it was 'a moment filled with pride, a truly historic event for the entire company' when Formula 1 confirmed the entry. From 2026 through 2028, G.M. will support Cadillac technically, including aerodynamics, performance engineering and manufacturing as it builds to become 'a distinctly American team,' Reuss said. He is aware of the challenge ahead. 'G.M. and Cadillac have been at the forefront of racing and winning in elite series for more than a century,' he said. 'We do not underestimate the level of competition nor the level of commitment needed to be included in F1.' With nine months to go until the first Cadillac/G.M. car hits the track in preseason testing, the race is on, with the countdown clock providing a continual update. 'The last time Dan was across,' Lowdon said, referring to Towriss, 'he talked to everyone at Silverstone, and he ended his address by saying, 'As you can see on the wall, we've got X number of days left, so let's crack on.' 'Everybody knows what the mission is.'
Forbes
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
FIA Approves General Motors F1 Power Unit For Cadillac Team In 2029
Cadillac's Formula One effort has taken another step forward. TWG GM Performance Power Units LLC., a company formed by TWG Motorsports and General Motors, has been approved by the FIA for use in 2029. The Cadillac F1 team will become the 11th team on the grid starting in 2026 and will use Ferrari power units for the three years leading to the now approved unit from GM. Development and testing of the prototype engine will continue with plans for a dedicated facility for GM Performance Power Units closed to General Motor's Charlotte Technical Center in 2026. The approval is significant in that the Cadillac F1 effort will be wholly U.S. based by 2029. TWG Motorsports is the effort formerly headed by Michael Andretti under the Andretti Autosports umbrella. TWG Motorsports has said that they plan to have at least one American driver in the two car team. Russ O'Blenes who was named CEO of the new venture said that with approval from FIA, they would continue to accelerate efforts to bring an American-built F1 power unit to the grid. 'Over two years ago, the FIA approved the entry of an eleventh team into the FIA Formula One World Championship, guided by my vision to expand the grid and bring new talent and opportunity to our sport,' said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem adding that although the process was at times challenging – eluding to Andretti stepping aside as the head the effort and into the role of ambassador and advisor, to allow TWG Motorsports to eventually gain approval on the grid, 'the progress we see today affirms the journey has been worthwhile.' Ben Sulayem said that 'welcoming GM Performance Power Units LLC. as an approved power unit supplier for the Championship starting in 2029 marks another step in the global expansion of Formula 1 and highlights the growing interest from world-class automotive manufacturers like General Motors.' 'Their dedication to innovation, sustainability, and competition is fully aligned with the FIA's vision for the future of our sport. It also strengthens our commitment to making motorsport more accessible and inclusive worldwide—welcoming new manufacturers, advancing technology, and connecting with a broader, more diverse fan base.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TWG Motorsports to race coast-to-coast this weekend from NASCAR at Bristol to IndyCar in Long Beach
TWG Motorsports to race coast-to-coast this weekend from NASCAR at Bristol to IndyCar in Long Beach LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — TWG Motorsports, the controlling owners of several teams in various forms of motorsports, will go coast-to-coast this weekend to showcase its positioning as a powerhouse racing organization. TWG is the group that owns controlling interest in the Cadillac Formula 1 team set to debut next season, Andretti Global in IndyCar, Spire Motorsports in NASCAR, Andretti Formula E and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car program. Advertisement The weekend will begin with NASCAR when CEO Dan Towriss attends the Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where fulltime Spire drivers Rajah Caruth and Andres Perez will be joined by Kyle Larson in a three-truck effort at the Tennessee track. Towriss will then take Caruth and Perez with him to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Saturday's Formula E race to watch Jake Dennis and Nico Müller compete. Towriss will then travel to California with Dennis and Müller for the IMSA sports car race and the IndyCar race Sunday on the downtown streets of Long Beach. For good measure, Towriss will attend Saturday night's Los Angeles Dodgers game when he arrives from Miami. The Dodgers are majority owned by TWG Global. The heavy racing weekend was made possible by a one-time quirk in the 2025 schedule that has four TWG teams competing in the United States on the same weekend. It comes as Towriss has taken over for Michael Andretti — he's honoring the Andretti legacy by not renaming Andretti teams — and tries to establish the brand before its F1 debut next season. Advertisement The F1 team is expected to reveal its branding with Cadillac and other key elements of the program at the Miami Grand Prix next month. No drivers have been signed despite mounting speculation that Sergio Perez will be one of the two in the lineup. Perez was bought out of his Red Bull contract by Red Bull at the end of last season. IndyCar driver Colton Herta was always earmarked as the American driver for the program first developed by Michael Andretti and pushed over the finish line after Towriss bought out Andretti. But Herta, who counts Long Beach as his home race, has put a pause on F1 speculation: He doesn't yet have the required super license needed to compete in F1 and wants to focus only on winning the IndyCar championship and Indianapolis 500 right now. Herta goes into Sunday's event ranked eighth in the IndyCar standings after two races. He finished second at Long Beach last year. ___ AP auto racing:
