Motor racing-Technical head Symonds leaves FOM for Andretti Cadillac

FILE PHOTO: Formula One - F1 - Italian Grand Prix 2009 - Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy - 10/9/09 Renault Executive Director of Engineering Pat Symonds Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Crispin Thruston Livepic/File Photo

(Reuters) - Formula One's chief technical officer Pat Symonds is joining the Andretti Cadillac outfit as they push for a place on the starting grid in 2026.

Liberty Media-owned Formula One has rejected the bid to become an 11th team, doubting it would be competitive or add value, despite the governing FIA approving the application last October.

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has since launched an investigation into possible 'anticompetitive conduct".

Andretti said in a statement that Symonds, who has decades of F1 experience, was joining as executive engineering consultant at their Silverstone base on completion of his 'gardening leave'. No date was given.

"Pat’s keen understanding of aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and Formula One power units will be instrumental as we continue to build a competitive team," said Michael Andretti.

"I believe his expertise has been pivotal in shaping the narrative of Formula One and his vote of confidence in joining our effort speaks volumes. I’m really happy with this next step as our work continues at pace."

Symonds worked with Ayrton Senna early in the Brazilian great's career, then Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in a period that involved four drivers' championships and three constructors' titles.

He was also involved in one of the sport's biggest scandals, the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix 'crashgate' incident after Renault's Brazilian Nelson Piquet crashed deliberately to help winning team mate Alonso, who was not implicated.

Symonds was banned from Formula One in 2009 but returned as Williams technical head in 2013 after a stint as technical consultant to now-defunct Marussia.

"Pat will bring expertise across technical areas and team operations in his role as Executive Engineering Consultant that will help us develop the team," said Andretti's technical director Nick Chester, who worked with Symonds at Renault.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)