Column Renger van der Zandte: F1 teams could be wet for competition from America

The fact that Cadillac wanted to enter Formula 1 with Andretti Autosport came as a surprise to Renger van der Zande, who is a factory driver in the American carmaker’s endurance race. However, van der Zande thinks European teams may be discouraged as US superpowers set their sights on the royals.

By Renger van der Zande

Many Europeans probably don’t realize the size of General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company. This is The biggest One of the largest automobile manufacturers in the United States and worldwide. General Motors has brands like Chevrolet and Corvette, along with Cadillac A premium brand It combines luxury and sport. That such a major American automaker wants to enter Formula 1 with Andretti as an American team is mega move Andretti is a great name for Cadillac, which also has Formula 1 history, as Mario and Michele Andretti raced there.

A lot of people ask me if I can get into a Cadillac, but I’ll be forty years old when they get to the stage… if only that had happened twenty years ago! And yet, it’s also fun for me because I’m a longtime Cadillac factory driver, and I’ve been there since 2018. So he comes to me as something like a messenger. The fact that General Motors is doing this with Cadillac shows that they believe it fits Formula 1’s premium image. In America sometimes under my ass are really fat Cadillac street cars with seven hundred, eight hundred horsepower and all the bells and whistles. You can compare Cadillac’s V-Series with the Mercedes AMG Black Series Top Series or the beefy BMW M cars.

No nonsense

I’ve been to the Cadillac plant in Detroit where they build our IMSA engines. It’s in a big campus with big facilities, in a typical American way No nonsense– Wise: They want to build the best machine, nothing else. American motorsport is sometimes looked down upon from Europe, but that is unfair. I think it’s because they’re inside to us Busy with racing, show and marketing, no fuss. That way it is No nonsense.

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Andretti is best known from IndyCar in America, where they are a serious player, but NASCAR is the biggest motorsport out there. Major NASCAR teams are as big or bigger than most Formula 1 teams in terms of budget and factory. Same goes for Ganassi, Cadillac or Penske. Don’t underestimate Andretti either. Yes, they need to adapt to Formula 1, but they have a few years. You turn it around and say ‘where would they be in Formula 1?’ If asked, I put them before Haas, Albatari and Saber.

So Formula 1 teams can prepare for tough competition from America. If Andretti and Cadillac are allowed to enter the game. The reaction of Formula 1 is not entirely positive… however, one must look beyond the ‘small coins’ that teams lose when a new team arrives: the growth potential of Formula 1 in America is still enormous. And with 330 million people, mass means money. An exotic, American brand like Cadillac certainly belongs in Formula 1.

As well as being an IMSA driver, Renger van der Zande is also a columnist for Formula 1 magazine. Winter edition of Formula 1 magazine, no. 02, is in stores now or can be ordered below. With free shipping within the Netherlands!