That’s right: Cadillic is officially in F1. Earlier this week, the FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) approved Cadillac as the newest entrant to the Formula 1 grid. This comes as Formula 1 continues to expand, especially in the North American markets. As a matter of fact, this is the first new team in F1 since Haas joined in 2016.
A New Team for 2026
Properly called the Cadillac F1 team, the FIA officially established Cadillac as the 11th team on the Formula 1 grid for the 2026 season. This means there will be 22 cars on the grid- a first in the entire history of the sport.
Cadillac joins F1 as a works team. What this means is the Cadillac F1 team is backed by a car manufacturer and will be producing its own engines, just like the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team or Scuderia Ferrari teams.
Cadillac joins F1 as the sport’s second American team, alongside Haas, with backing from General Motors (GM) and TWG Motorsports, which owns and operates Andretti Global. TWG Motorsports’ partnership with the Cadillac F1 team is significant as it marks Mario Andretti’s involvement in the new Formula 1. It was previously announced by GM that Mario Andretti, the last American F1 champion, would be the director of the Cadillac F1 team’s board.
What’s Next?
While Cadillac’s official entry into Formula 1 might seem sudden, the brand has been laying groundwork for quite some time. In October of 2023, the FIA approved an intial application formt he then-named Andretti/Cadillac team. Since then, GM has been preparing for an entry in 2026, which happens to be the year when regulations will change for Formula 1.
The next steps for the Cadillac F1 team will be finding a driver lineup and sponsors for the team.
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