In a big development from the world of motorsports, Cadillac has officially become the newest team to join Formula One racing. This became official after the General Motors-back brand secured a formal approval from the commercial rights holders of the F1 championship. In partnership with TWG Motorsports, the Cadillac F1 team will join the championship from the 2026 season.
Although Cadillac announced its F1 team back in November 2024 when organisers agreed to a grid expansion, it was not until Friday that governing body FIA and Formula One Management said the Cadillac F1 effort meets all the requirements to become the 11th team in the series next season.
“Today marks a transformative moment, and I am proud to lead the Federation in this progressive step for the championship,” said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “The FIA Formula One Championship’s expansion to an 11th team in 2026 is a milestone. GM/Cadillac brings fresh energy, aligning with the new FIA 2026 regulations and ushering in an exciting era for the sport.”
Cadillac F1: Overcoming the odds
Cadillac F1 will become the second American-owned team on the grid, alongside Haas F1, which is owned by California businessman Gene Haas. Unlike Cadillac, the Haas team does not feature an American driver or a collaboration with an American manufacturer, though it is sponsored by MoneyGram.
It wasn’t an easy road for General Motors to secure a formal approval from FIA for the Cadillac racing team. Securing project approval from FOM took over four years, despite support from the FIA and Ben Sulayem. The delay stemmed from a strained relationship between F1 and Michael Andretti, a former F1 driver who never found strong acceptance in the European series.
However, Andretti sold a controlling stake in his motorsports ventures to Dan Towriss late last year and is no longer involved in the project. This change played a key role in helping TWG and Cadillac gain approval for their F1 bid. The Cadillac F1 team will be managed by Towriss and his team at TWG.
Cadillac F1: Car development
Towriss told The Associated Press that the Cadillac F1 team has already built a 2026 car, which has undergone wind tunnel testing, with development progressing rapidly. The team is expanding at an astonishing pace, recently appointing motorsports and Formula 1 executive Graeme Lowdon as team principal and industry veteran Russ O’Blenes as CEO of TWG GM Performance Power Units. This newly formed company aims to establish Cadillac as a full-works team, producing both the chassis and power units.
However, the Cadillac F1 team will be outsourcing some of the critical components from other manufacturers for the initial years. Cadillac’s powertrains will not be ready for some time and the team will lease engines from Ferrari until General Motors has a product ready to compete. The powertrains will be built in a facility on the North Carolina campus of Hendrick Motorsports in Concord, while the F1 program will be run from a new facility being built in Indiana and a second factory in Silverstone, England.
With inputs from Reuters