Ford backs General Motors bid to join F1 grid

Ford motorsport boss Mark Rushbrook has spoken up in favour of rival manufacturer General Motors joining the Formula 1 grid in the near future in association with Andretti Global.

Andretti's bid to enter an 11th team in F1 with powers units produced by GM's Cadillac brand was rejected by Formula One Management despite previously meeting the approval of the sport's governing body, the FIA.

While GM has never competed in F1, Ford is to return to Grand Prix racing in 2026 supplying engines to Red Bull Racing, and Rushbrook has spoken up in favour of a little all-American rivalry being added to the championship.

"We go racing to compete against other manufacturers, and there’s already a lot of manufacturers in F1," Rushbrook told The Associated Press on this week.

"We’d certainly love to welcome General Motors into the sport. They have that ability to come in as a power unit manufacturer independent of any specific team.

• Read also: McLaren's Brown tells Andretti 'There's always a number'

"They could partner with any of the existing ten teams, so we'd welcome them for sure," he added. "And the same for Andretti, we certainly don’t have anything against Andretti."

FOM rejected Andretti's application on the grounds that the team did not understand the scale of the technical challenge of entering F1, and would not add significant commercial alue to the championship.

Although the door was kept ajar on the project for 2028, by then there is expected to be a big rise in the 'anti-dilution fee' required from new teams to compensate existing entrants for a smaller share of revenue money.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem had previously encouraged the addition of an 11th team on the grid and backed Andretti's application but now says it would be better for Andretti to buy an existing team to secure its spot.

Andretti has not given up on its hopes to join F1, with a new facility being opened in Silverstone and hiring Pat Symonds from the F1 organisation to bolster its technical department.

Ford's Mustang brand and GM via its Chevrolet marque already compete head-to-head in the US NASCAR stock car series. Between them have won the last four titiles in association with Penske and Hendrick Motorsports respectively.

As well as extending that rivalry to F1, Rushbrook's counterpart at GM Mark Reuss suggested it would be keen to face off in the US IndyCar open wheel series.

""Thank you Mark Rushbrook — and we would welcome Ford to IndyCar for enhancing American open-wheel racing as well," Reuss said on social media.

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