Q: Why did Dan Towriss have to completely nuke Michael Andretti? Could he not have separated or divested him out of everything that was not IndyCar and let him keep that team he built and done Cadillac F1 separately?
Mark, Cincinnati
MP: I’m more troubled by an investment firm taking control of one of IndyCar’s Big 3 teams. This isn’t something we’ve seen over here; investment firms taking stakes in F1 teams is one thing, but the outright control of a big team like Andretti’s, now owned and controlled by non-racers, doesn’t warm my heart.
Specific to Michael, I’ve got mixed feelings. I’ve seen his interest in being a team owner waver significantly after retiring from driving, with the early years marked by an outward indifference. And then seen his attitude change and his heavy involvement in time and effort shine through. I hate that he’s no longer involved, but his dad says he’s happy, and this could be a meaningful change.
Q: What is the reason that Helio Castroneves is not one of the MSR drivers for IMSA’s sprint or endurance races? I find this odd as he was complaining he could not get a drive for the 2024 Daytona Rolex 24. Helio now has a minority ownership in Meyer Shank Racing — is that just the IndyCar side, or all of MSR?
Victor Martino
MP: There are no sides to MSR. It’s one team and business. Helio’s fastest days are behind him in the context of endurance races. The days of sports car teams routinely relying on aging and retired open-wheel drivers to be marquee prototype or GT drivers, which was the deal for many decades, has passed. Enduros have become flat-out sprint races, which is why pro teams tend to hire younger drivers, which was never the norm, or the select veterans over 40 who haven’t lost a step. The MSR/Acura team has Alex Palou and Scott Dixon as its enduro drivers, and Felix Rosenqvist for Daytona, which is a dream scenario for any manufacturer.
Q: What is your opinion about the involvement Michael Andretti will have with the just-announced Cadillac F1 team? Greg Maffei (outgoing Liberty Media CEO) is out and it seemed he was the main obstacle.
As far as I know, Cadillac doesn’t run race teams, they build engines. I read last week that Andretti Global, TWG or whatever it is called now is hiring employees in Silverstone. The infrastructure and employees were Andretti. All of the buildings in Indianapolis and Silverstone have the Andretti Global logo on them. Is it just as simple as changing the logo on all these buildings to TWG? All the work, time and effort, millions of dollars Michael put into this dream, and now it’s happening and his name will be on nothing? Will he even be allowed to be in the pits at a F1 race?
This all just leaves a bad taste in a lot of Andretti fans’ mouths.
Mel, Arizona
MP: So, nothing whatsoever has changed here, except for the loss of Michael Andretti and the burying of the Andretti name in the entry for Cadillac F1.
The Andretti Global group that has hired 200-plus F1 employees, been designing a car, etc., all with a hope of reaching F1, has never wavered.
Michael was never the one spending heavily to get the team to F1; that was primarily done through investors, who’ve taken over the team. Everything you knew as Andretti Cadillac F1 that has been in motion remains in motion, minus the Andretti name being mentioned. He’s been listed as an advisor, so I imagine he’ll be invited to appear in public with them at some point.
What started as the dream of Michael and Mario to get into F1 has been flipped upside down to become GM’s rush to become a full entrant. I’ll admit that I don’t fully understand it, not when GM’s finances are always under such scrutiny. I can only assume most of the costs are being underwritten by TWG Global. I also wonder: If Michigan rival Ford was not joining F1 with Red Bull, would GM stay in?
Q: OK, so Michael Andretti no longer owns any of Andretti Global? So the Andretti family is only involved via name?
I imagine with the F1 entry being a Cadillac-branded program, will Andretti’s other programs be changed in terms of their name to reflect the ownership? Or will the Andretti Global name be used still for non-F1 activities? Pardon my confusion but this is a wild ride for this team.
Derrick
MP: The financial breakdown of who owns what has never been provided, but yes, there’s an assumption that Michael was bought out of the business. When I asked Andretti COO Rob Edwards about a name change in a recent interview, he said no, nothing is changing with its non-F1 teams.
Q: Has Green Savoree signed another multi-year contract to promote Portland? Since returning in 2018 there have been two- or three-year contracts (2020 was canceled). I haven’t seen anything to suggest they’re in for another three years. Is it year by year until Portland falls off the schedule again? I wish they could do something like Iowa and bring in a concert to attract more people to the race weekend.
Marc, PDX
MP: I sent your question to GSRP for response… and they didn’t respond.
Q: Have you heard anything from Green Savoree about plans for 2026 when it comes to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy? The reason I am asking is because World Cup games will be held at BMO Field from June 12-July 2, 2026. While the IndyCar traditionally doesn’t takes place in mid-July, they would still need more time to set up the track. I love that Arlington is being introduced in 2026 ,but I hope it’s not at the expense of Toronto.
David Colquitt
MP: I sent your question to GSRP for response… and they didn’t respond.