Mario Andretti says Max Verstappen would be the ideal recruit for the Cadillac F1 entry for F1 2026 given the need for experience when they arrive on the grid.
General Motors agreed a deal in principle to join the Formula 1 grid as an 11th team from the F1 2026 season through its Cadillac brand, with 1978 World Champion Andretti set to serve in a non-executive advisory role with the team when they join.
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the F1 2028 season but reports have persisted that others are interested in his services for as soon as F1 2026, when Formula 1’s regulations are reset.
Audi F1 will be completing its full takeover of the Sauber team and Cadillac F1 will be joining the grid to make a 22-car field as the grid expands once again.
Alongside one American driver – potentially IndyCar star Colton Herta – could be a candidate, Andretti gave GPblog a “yes” when it was put to him that Verstappen would be an ideal driver for the team given his experience and speed.
The Red Bull driver secured his fourth consecutive World Championship in Las Vegas over the weekend and Andretti believes that this feat showed the “special talent” that got him to this point given the competitiveness of the season to date.
“He sure did not disappoint,” he said.
“He didn’t have it very easy by any means. You could see that as a driver, he made the difference, no question, even when it’s compared to his team-mate, unfortunately.
“But fortunately for him, he was able to extract the maximum that could be extracted out of the equipment at the time. And he just, he did it. He did it. And kind of gave him credit where it’s due.
“He’s something special. A special, special talent that doesn’t come along very often. So, yes, it’s very fitting. And I’m happy for him because, like I said, he earned every moment of it.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was asked about Verstappen’s longevity with the team at the weekend, too, and acknowledged that the onus is on Red Bull to give him machinery capable of bringing home more titles.
“I think the relationship that Max has with the team, you can see there’s a great amount of trust there,” Horner told media including PlanetF1.com in Las Vegas.
“It’s down to us to deliver and I’m sure that we’ll provide him a car that he can fight again for the championship next year, I’ve got no doubt about that.
“I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but it won’t be easy for any of the teams, and I think there’s a lot of lessons that we’ve taken out of this year.”
