Cadillac given green light for Formula One entry

The FIA and F1 have confirmed that General Motors (GM) will get a spot on the grid next year, and will be naming their new team after the luxury Cadillac brand. Cadillac are the first new team to join the fray since Haas in 2016, ending a period of 10 years without changes to the lineup.

Following a joint statement from the FIA and Formula One, the Cadillac team released a short video on Instagram that featured an all-black F1 car. The statement read: “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 had previously rejected a bid from the US team Andretti

It was announced in November last year that GM had secured an agreement in principle to enter F1 in 2026, yet it was only this March that Graeme Lowdon, who will become Cadillac’s first team principal, chose to step into his role as spokesperson after official confirmation from Formula One Management (FOM).

F1 had previously rejected a bid from the US team Andretti, which was linked to Cadillac. The accepted new team will be run instead by the US organisation TWG in a revision of the initial bid, now a joint effort between GM and TWG Motorsports. Dan Towriss, owner of US team Andretti Global, and TWG’s Mark Walter are among the other key investors.

F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali stated: “As we said in November, the commitment by General Motors to bring a Cadillac team to F1 was an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport.” He then continued, “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.”

All eyes will now be on Cadillac as the team enters the driver market

Key factors in the second bid’s success was the commitment to a full works team over the coming years, an agreement with Ferrari to source an initial engine, and the commitment of GM to build its own engine in the future. All eyes will now be on Cadillac, as the team enters the driver market and zeroes in on who will sit behind the wheel in their debut 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.