The new Cadillac team will join the grid from the 2026 season after the General Motors-backed entry was approved by the FIA and F1.
The confirmation of the entry of American car giant GM’s luxury brand into the sport means the Formula 1 grid will expand to 11 teams from next year.
It was announced last November that Cadillac had secured an agreement in principle to join the grid as part of a revised offering from GM in conjunction with US group TWG Motorsports, which sees General Motors committed to running its own works engine by the end of the decade.
Before its work engine is ready to use, the Cadillac team has secured a deal to initially run Ferrari’s engine and gearbox from its first season in a deal announced in December.
GM has set up its own engine company to develop its first F1 power unit.
A short joint statement read: “The FIA and Formula 1 can confirm that, following the completion of their respective sporting, technical and commercial assessments, the application by General Motors and TWG Motorsports to bring a Cadillac team to the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2026 has been approved.”
F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: “As we said in November, the commitment by General Motors to bring a Cadillac team to Formula 1 was an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport.
“I want to thank GM and TWG for their constructive engagement over many months and look forward to welcoming the team on the grid from 2026 for what will be another exciting year for Formula 1.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “Today marks a transformative moment, and I am proud to lead the federation in this progressive step for the championship.
“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.
“The Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s presence in the paddock will inspire future competitors and fans. Their entry strengthens our mission to push motorsport’s boundaries at the highest level.”
Dan Towriss is the chief executive of TWG Global’s newly-formed motorsport arm, TWG Motorsports, which already runs different entities across world motorsport, while Britain’s Graeme Lowdon, the former sporting director of the Marussia team, is the Cadillac team principal.
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Speaking from the F1 75 Live red carpet, Mario Andretti shares his delight at Cadillac F1 success and how having at least one US driver is an objective
Although F1 originally rejected an initial version of the bid, which had been approved and put forward to them for final consideration by the FIA, for the team to join the grid before 2028 when it was submitted under the Andretti name with GM backing in January 2024, the sport left the door open to consider a revised proposal.
It is understood that the greater subsequent commitment from General Motors – which is one of the big three US carmarkers – to building its own engine for the future and the deal to source a customer powertrain deal from an existing F1 manufacturer in the intervening period so to avoid a compulsory supply arrangement proved decisive in F1’s deliberations on the second iteration of the entry bid.
Mario Andretti, the US racing legend and 1978 F1 world champion, remains part of the project as an advisor.
More to follow…
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