“For sure there will be an American driver on the team”: Mario Andretti drops first hint about their F1 driver lineup

Mario Andretti revealed that the driver lineup for his Formula 1 team, named Cadillac, will definitely have an American driver.

General Motors and Andretti Autosport came together to join the F1 grid as a new team, Cadillac, which is likely to be called Andretti Cadillac. While the chances of this team entering the grid as an 11th team are increasing day-by-day, it is hard to say when it will happen, or who will be driving for them.

However, as Mario Andretti revealed to RacingNews365, it is definitive that the American outfit will have an American driving for them.

"I can tell you for sure that there will be one American driver on the team, and the other will be an experienced one."

Owing to the fact that he said that "the other will be an experienced one," a little conclusion can perhaps be drawn from it. The only American driver on the grid currently is Logan Sargeant, a rookie this season, driving for Williams.

Even if Cadillac is on the F1 grid by 2025, he would still be inexperienced compared to a few other drivers on the grid. So it can be said that Sargeant could be on the shortlist.

Logan Sargeant during the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix weekend

If not him and Mario Andretti means an actual rookie, it could be Jak Crawford who is currently 18 and racing in Formula 2, his rookie season in the junior series.

He currently stands 13th in the standings, but if his performance improves, it could be him racing. But the odds rather go out for Sargeant, who will have enough experience to bring the Cadillac into points by the time they join.

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Mario Andretti hoping to be on the F1 grid in 2025

The team's interest to join Formula 1 was supported by FIA wanting more teams on the grid, but the existing teams haven't completely liked the idea of having more than 10 teams. This is because it is apparent that the prize money will reduce with another team's entry.

To battle this, there is the $200 million anti-dilution fee that teams are supposed to pay to join the grid. However, it has been mentioned that it would be increased to $600 million in consideration of the teams' decision. The decision is still pending on this one.

Mario Andretti revealed that they were hoping to be a part of the grid from the 2024 season as well. But now, it doesn't seem to be happening before 2025, which, he also feels is a better time to join.

"There is not a specific timeline, but we have been told early September [to expect a decision]. Not only [is coming in 2025] beneficial, but it is a key factor."