1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has warned General Motors to follow in the footsteps of Mercedes and Ferrari rather than Alpine, to avoid being "worthless".
A statement of intent to add General Motors (GM) to the grid as an 11th team in 2026 was released by F1 ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, which will see the arrival of the Cadillac brand.
If ratified, the Cadillac F1 team will join the paddock, with motorsport legend Mario Andretti as one of its directors.
GM is the parent company of Cadillac, who have been warned by Villeneuve to establish themselves in the sport in the correct fashion.
“Yes, it’s important General Motors establish themselves properly," Villeneuve told Spin Casino. "If they do it the way Alpine was doing it, then it will be worthless. "
"If they do it the way that Mercedes and Ferrari have been doing it, then that is very different and definitely worthwhile. It depends on what their approach is.
“If it is just to benefit from how big F1 is nowadays then it won’t serve any purpose to F1. We don’t know what is behind GM's thinking but if it is to actually be competitive, bring something to the sport and really be involved that is great news."
Viewed by others:
Andretti pedigree
An individual no longer involved in the Cadillac project is Michael Andretti, who recently stepped down as Andretti's CEO.
However, as mentioned, his father Mario, the 1987 F1 champion, is on the outfit's board as a director.
Villeneuve sees the positives of GM having the motorsport icon onboard, given that his pedigree could be another boost to F1.
JV: “Having Mario Andretti’s pedigree is important in the sport, but F1 is so big now," said the Canadian.
"He is a big name mainly in North America. In Europe, he is a big name in the racing industry.”
Should the GM/Cadillac entry feature on the grid from 2026 as expected, then it will see two more seats become available.
As assessed by Villeneuve, this is a positive for both young drivers in Formula 2 but also for established stars, looking for a fresh move.
“That is good either for young talent or even for established talent," added Villeneuve. "It gives more room for drivers to play with and strengthens their hand.
"Teams might make bigger efforts to get the drivers they want because drivers will have more choice to go somewhere else."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they dissect the Las Vegas GP and look ahead to Qatar! Max Verstappen's title success was a main talking point, as was the mounting pressure on McLaren in the F1 constructors' title fight.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!