Hi friends,
We’re still in the grips of the month long F1 draught, so we’ll dip our toes in more news from other series than usual, but fear not – We’re only a week out from the US GP!
Top story of the week: Andretti is on target to have a finished 2026-spec F1 chassis by Christmas
While Michael Andretti is stepping back from a leadership role with Andretti, their Formula 1 aspirations have not changed. The team continues to push ahead to secure a spot on the grid, and is on track to have their first 2026-spec chassis (aka. tub) ready by Christmas this year.
Why is this important? A tub is by no means a complete race car, but it’s a big step towards one – and Andretti having their first iteration of the 2026 tub ready this year, means that they are progressing nicely towards a complete car – especially considering their relatively small F1 workforce of just 250, compared with 1000+ at the other established teams. They are working towards increasing their F1 workforce by 25% by Christmas as well, further increasing their development efforts.
Andretti is currently in a position where they are unrestricted in terms of cost cap and development, and so having their tub ready for testing already, means they can do unlimited wind tunnel running, CFD simulations and even on-track testing – a huge advantage when developing a car.
Andretti’s bid to join the grid in 2026 as a Renault customer team was rejected – now they’re planning to join in 2028 instead, brining on GM as an engine manufacturer via the Cadillac brand.
If they’re able to keep up the current pace, especially when operating outside the cost cap regulations, Andretti could make a big splash on the grid in 2028. So the question is, did the other teams and FOM hand Andretti an unintended advantage by denying them a spot on the grid in 2026, which would have subjected them to the cost cap regulations from next year?
The rest of the stories this week:
- Michael Andretti published an open letter following the news that he would be stepping back from a leadership role in Andretti Global
- F1 is hosting a joint car launch for all 10 teams in February 2025
- Pirelli will be testing a new tyre compound in FP2 at the Mexican GP
- Otmar Szafnauer gives a very candid interview about his time in Formula 1
- NASCAR sets a series record with a 28 car crash (All drivers are okay)
- The FIA Prize Gala in Rwanda will go ahead despite Marburg virus outbreak in the region
- Felipe Drugovich will do FP1 for Aston Martin at the Mexican GP
- Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti will make his IMSA LMP2 debut at Petit Le Mans this weekend
- Mercedes is evaluating joining the WEC Hypercar class
- Verstappen tested some GT3 cars at Mugello
- Verstappen has applied for the trademark on his “Simply Lovely” radio message
- Race of Champions heads to Sydney on March 7th 2025
- Kamala Harris is a Formula 1 fan
- F1 and Hot Wheels announce a new partnership
- The Iron Dames are heading to the Asian Le Mans Series
- If you fancy your shot at being Director of Indy NXT, now’s your chance to apply
- IndyCar will have a race race in Arlington, Texas from 2026
- IMSA team Pfaff Motorsports is in need of funding to continue racing
- Billy Monger has been given a driving ban after a crash in January
- Mercedes builds a new home for the lizards Ziggy, Whizzy, Lizzy, Lissard, Fizzy, Blizzard and Lenny, who were discovered when building a new car park at their Brackley HQ
That’s it for this week. Until next time, thank you for being here.
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