After being shown the black flag about a year ago, General Motors and TWG Global agreed to a deal to have Cadillac in the starting F1 grid in 2026 The deal will also have the Cadillac Formula 1 Team tracking to be a “full works” team by 2030.
GM President Mark Reuss announced GM and TWG Global reached an agreement with Formula 1 to bring a Cadillac team to the series in 2026.
Cadillac will be the first new team to join the circuit since 2016, and will be a “full” team that builds its own vehicles and power units by the end of the decade. Former F1 Champion Mario Andretti will serve on the team’s board of directors.
“As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence,” said GM President Mark Reuss, in a statement.
“It’s an honor 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.”
Finally done
GM’s been pushing to join F1 since 2023, and the initial entry, the Andretti-Cadillac led by Michael Andretti, Mario’s son and a former F1 driver himself, was shot down in January. That push was aimed at a 2025 start.
Former F1 champion and racing legend Mario Andretti is on the team’s board of directors.
“Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the championship,” F1 officials said in a release revealing the decision. “The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the applicant would be a competitive participant.”
While there was some grousing about politics, the team continue to push forward for a 2026 entry with a base at the famed Silverstone raceway in England — and some reconfiguring of the team. GM’s name leads the entry with TWG Global alongside. Michael Andretti also took a step back from the effort.
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Racing success
“We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Global’s motorsports businesses. TWG owns and operates Andretti Global, Wayne Taylor Racing and Spire Motorsports.
Cadillac finished second overall in the IMSA WeatherTech Champions series this year.
“Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world. We appreciate FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.’’
GM isn’t exactly a newbie to high-level racing. The company was quick to point out it has more than 3,000 wins and more than 100 driver and manufacturer motorsports championships.
Cadillac just finished the IMSA season with a win at Road Atlanta. The team finished second to Porsche in the overall 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. During the season the team captured six poles in nine races and had seven front-row starts overall. The most recent win was its 31st in IMSA prototype competition.
It was second in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championship. Cadillac has earned five IMEC Manufacturer Championships since 2017 and finished second the other years.
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