The first Cadillac Formula 1 car has some big tires to fill.
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team announced on Friday that it has named its first chassis the MAC-26 [Mario Andretti Cadillac-26] in honor of team advisor and 1978 Formula 1 Champion Mario Andretti.
“Mario Andretti is a legend of Formula 1. A true racer who knows how to win and push the limits of what is possible. But more than that, he is an incredible man with a gentle heart who believes in everyone’s ability to shape their own path,” Team Principal Graeme Lowdon said in a news release.
“At the start of my own journey with the team, he asked me not to let him down – I hope that he will be proud to see the Cadillac Formula 1 Team car bearing his name finally take to the grid.”
Andretti is the last American to win the Formula 1 championship or a race in the series.
“Racing has been the joy of my life. It is the ultimate compliment that the Cadillac Formula 1 Team sees those years as meaningful and worthy of recording with this honor,” Andretti said.
“I cherish the opportunity that it gives me to have a lasting bond with F1 and am genuinely appreciative of everyone who continues to acknowledge my part in racing history.”
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“No pressure on the chassis manufacturers there, right? That thing better perform like Mario Andretti did, as well,” Mario’s nephew Adam Andretti joked on the latest episode of American Cars And Racing’s The GAS podcast, noting that the announcement came just a day before Mario’s 86th birthday.
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team will be making its first start at the Australian Grand Prix with drivers Checo Perez and Valtteri Bottas behind the wheels of its cars when the lights go out in Melbourne at 11 p.m. ET on March 7.
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