General Motors has confirmed that the Cadillac brand will officially join the Formula One grid as the sport’s 11th team.
The American luxury car manufacturer is set to enter F1 for the 2026 season as a constructor, coinciding with a major change in the technical regulations.
Cadillac will become the first all-new team to successfully join Formula One since Haas in 2016, swelling the grid to 22 cars.
The manufacturer will also aim to build its own power units by the end of the decade, but has not confirmed who will supply its engines initially.
A dream come true for Mario Andretti
At the start of 2023, General Motors announced its intention to join F1 in collaboration with Andretti Global. Although this application was approved by the FIA, the commercial rights holders for the sport slammed the door shut on Caddy’s entry for 2025.
Now, almost two years later, Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of Formula One, confirmed Cadillac’s entry, saying: “We look forward to seeing the progress and growth of this application, certain of the full collaboration and support of all the parties involved”.
Cadillac will operate its Formula One team with TWG Global, and will host operations throughout the United States – along with a facility at Silverstone in the UK.
Motorsport legend Mario Andretti, the last American F1 world champion, will serve on the team’s board of directors. “To still be involved at this stage of my life – I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming”, said Andretti.
‘The pinnacle of motorsports’
Cadillac has a strong association with motorsport, most recently competing in the World Endurance Championship, and winning the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2023.
“As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. 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,” said GM President Mark Reuss.
“This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”
Cadillac’s entry into Formula One in 2026 will see it pitched against other major manufacturers. Audi is due to enter the sport in the same season, while Ford will become an engine supplier to Red Bull Racing.
ALSO READ:
There is now a Lego version of Nigel Mansell’s Williams F1 car
