Formula 1 announced Monday that it has approved the entry of GM and Cadillac as a new team on the grid, bringing a storied American car maker into the pinnacle of motorsport.
The announcement, which is part of an application initiated by racing team Andretti Global, shakes up the F1 world and could provide a boost to the fast-growing U.S. market with the arrival of the storied American car manufacturer. It comes two days after the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
F1 said in a statement that it “reached an agreement in principle with General Motors (GM) to support bringing GM/Cadillac as the eleventh team to the Formula 1 grid in 2026.”
The much-anticipated decision follows a year-long saga marked by drama and bitter tensions within F1 after Andretti Global applied to join the grid and gained the approval of the sport’s governing body FIA — only to get rejected by the Liberty Media-owned commercial side of F1, which questioned whether Andretti would bring sufficient value to the sport or be competitive.
But the added promise from GM to become a “works” team — building both a car and a power unit — led to a breakthrough.
“Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global,” — which now controls Andretti Global — “regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process and will provide further updates in due course.”
In a statement, GM said it will build its own power unit “by the end of the decade,” without specifying a year.
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“F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. 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,” GM President Mark Reuss said. “This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”
Mario Andretti, a former F1 champion and the patriarch of the Andretti racing dynasty, will serve as a director on the team’s board.
“My first love was Formula 1 and now — 70 years later — the F1 paddock is still my happy place. I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss,” Andretti said in a statement. “To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
Last spring, Andretti paid a visit to Washington, D.C., at the invitation of lawmakers, and the story became political. Within a few months, the Justice Department began investigating Liberty Media for potential antitrust violations amid allegations that it shut out a U.S. team to protect the largely European teams from competition.
That probe could fizzle as a result of this move.