- Formula 1 has greenlit General Motors’ Cadillac to enter the grid come 2026.
- GM/Cadillac previously made a joint bid with Andretti Global, which was ultimately denied this past February after a year-long application process.
- GM/Cadillac represents the first new team to join F1 since Haas — another US outfit — in 2016; and a wider push to Americanise the motorsport under the stewardship of Liberty Media.
After several false starts, Formula 1 has finally reached an “agreement in principle” with General Motors and TWG Global to bring an 11th team to the grid in 2026.
“Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” announced the organisation.
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“Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac.”
While the pilots remain a mystery at this stage, we know the car will use a Ferrari-produced power unit until GM/Cadillac develops its own engine by the end of the decade; on the path to becoming a full-works team.
“As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence,” said GM President Mark Reuss.
“It’s an honour for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world.”
“This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”
As you may recall, this isn’t the first time General Motors or Cadillac has attempted to break into Formula 1.
The American outfit only recently made a joint bid with Andretti Global, spearheaded by Michael Andretti — son of 1978 Formula 1 champion and American motorsport legend Mario Andretti. In February of this year, the application was rejected.
Where did it all go wrong?
After conducting an analysis involving key stakeholders, Formula One Management concluded Andretti Global-General Motors would neither be a “competitive participant” nor independently add value. But now that the Andretti family has taken a backseat, and with the pledge to manufacture an original F1 power unit before 2030, that’s obviously since changed.
“While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around,” read the rationale.
“In this case, there would be additional factors to consider in respect of the value that the applicant would bring to the championship, in particular in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM [original equipment manufacturer] to the sport as a PU [power unit] supplier.”
“The need for any new team to take a compulsory power-unit supply, potentially over a period of several seasons, would be damaging to the prestige and standing of the championship.”
Mario Andretti will, however, serve as an ambassadorial director on GM/Cadillac’s board. In a statement separate from Formula 1’s, he expressed the following:
“My first love was Formula 1 and now — 70 years later — the F1 paddock is still my happy place. I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss. To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
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Cadillac also retains the “experienced team” it assembled during the last bid to work on aerodynamics, chassis, and component development, as well as software and vehicle dynamics simulation.
These specialists have operations dotted across the globe from Fishers, Indiana and Warren, Michigan to Silverstone, England.
Between this, Audi’s takeover of Sauber, Ford’s partnership with Red Bull Racing, Honda’s full-scale return via Aston Martin, and the forthcoming regulation updates… 2026 certainly promises to be interesting.
