Andretti could use Honda or Alpine’s power unit upon F1 entry, says FIA boss Ben Sulayem

Earlier this month, Formula One’s governing body FIA had approved Andretti entry as the 11th team in F1 from 2025-26 onwards, subject to it reaching a commercial agreement with FOM. While there is still an uncertainty regarding Andretti’s entry plans in the motorsport, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has clarified that the team will not be left without an engine supply, as per a report by AutoSport.
Andretti was earlier expected to be supplied engines by Renault, however, it was recently revealed that the the pre-contract the team had with the French manufacturer had lapsed. Andretti plans to bring Cadillac along with it in Formula 1, but the short timeframe makes it unlikely that it will have its own power unit ready for a few years. This means that the American team would need a customer deal in place for its entry into F1.

F1’s current sporting regulations ensure that no team is left without a power unit supply. Ben Sulayem says he is clear that Andretti would qualify for a supply from 2025 or 2026 as he said the long-term aim was for General Motors/Cadillac to produce its own power unit. “We are demanding that and we will see that,” said Ben Sulayem about the potential for an engine from GM. “But engines are not built in four or five years.”
Appendix 6 of F1’s Sporting Regulations will apply to Andretti in giving it the option of requesting a supply from one of the engine manufacturers that is supplying the fewest customer teams, which leaves only Honda and Renault on the table, with both currently only committed to supply one team each. “It works that, with the rules, nobody can say no to them [Andretti],” said Ben Sulayem. “If all the teams say no, then the FIA has the power to go on and say, the least two [engine manufacturers] being used, then we put them in a draw, and we take one.”