When Cadillac is mentioned, the first thought that would come to most people’s minds would be those large, fuel-guzzling American cars usually seen in movies. It would seem that this brand, positioned as a luxury brand, would not have much to do with motorsports. But it has gone racing, mostly in America, although Cadillacs entered the Le Mans 24-Hour race in 1950.
In 2026, Cadillac will enter Formula 1 for the first time, the first new team to join F1 since 2016 and the eleventh team on the starting grid. Cadillac, which is part of General Motors, aims to become a full works team by the end of the decade, .building its own F1 vehicles and power units.
Since GM’s bid to join F1 was announced in January 2023, Cadillac Formula 1 has assembled an experienced team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software, and vehicle dynamics simulation. The team has operations in various locations in America as well as at Silverstone in England. Mario Andretti, the last American F1 champion, will serve as a director on the team’s board.
“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.”
Many companies have used what they have learnt or developed in motorsports to advance the technologies in the vehicles they sell to the public. Such innovations have been developed and then used in the extreme conditions of racing and can contribute to GM’s push to drive advanced electrification, powertrain, software, and internal combustion engine technology.
