Renger van der Zande column: F1 teams could get wet for US competition

The fact that Cadillac wants to enter Formula 1 with Andretti Autosport also came as a surprise to Renger van der Zande, who is a works driver for the American manufacturer in endurance racing. However, Van der Zande thinks European teams can get their chests wet now that the American superpowers have set their sights on the royal class.

By Renger van der Zande

Many Europeans probably don’t realize the size of General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company. It`s huge in America and one of the largest automakers in the world. Within General Motors, you have brands like Chevrolet and Corvette, with Cadillac, there premium fire which combines luxury and sportiness. That such a big American automaker wants to enter Formula 1 with Andretti as an American team is a mega move – and Andretti is a great name for Cadillac which also has Formula 1 history, as Mario and Michael Andretti raced there.

A lot of people ask me if I can get into a Cadillac, but when they get on the grid, I’ll be forty… If only that had happened twenty years ago! Still, it’s also fun for me, because I’m the longest-serving Cadillac factory rider, I’ve been here since 2018. So something comes to me as an ambassador. The fact that General Motors is doing this with Cadillac shows that they think it fits the high end image of Formula 1. In America I sometimes have very thick Cadillac trams under my ass with seven hundred, eight hundred horses and all the bells and whistles. You can compare Cadillac’s V-Series with Mercedes’ top AMG Black Series or the thicker BMW M cars.

No kidding

I also went to the Cadillac plant in Detroit where they make our IMSA engines. It’s in a huge complex with great facilities, in typical American fashion No kidding-wise: they just want to build the best engine, nothing else. American motorsport is sometimes looked down upon from Europe, but that’s unjustified. I think it’s because they’re in the WE just be busy with racing, show and marketing, no fuss. In this sense it is No kidding.

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Andretti is best known in America for Indycar, where they’re a serious player, but NASCAR is the biggest motorsport there. The biggest NASCAR teams are as big or bigger than most Formula 1 teams in terms of budget and factory. The same goes for a Ganassi, a Cadillac or a Penske. Don’t underestimate Andretti either. Yes, they have to adapt to Formula 1, but they still have a few years. If you turn the situation around and ask “where would they be in Formula 1? I put them before Haas, AlphaTauri and Sauber.

Formula 1 teams can therefore prepare for tough American competition. If Andretti and Cadillac are allowed into the sport. The reaction from Formula 1 is not entirely positive…Nevertheless, teams need to look beyond the “little parts” they lose when a new team arrives: the growth potential of Formula 1 in America is still huge. And with 330 million inhabitants, the mass is cash. An attractive American brand like Cadillac therefore certainly belongs in Formula 1.

In addition to being an IMSA driver, Renger van der Zande is also a columnist for FORMULE 1 Magazine. The Winter Edition of FORMULA 1 Magazine, #02, is now in stores or can be ordered below. With free delivery in the Netherlands!