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Cadillac's F1 Team Has Officially Been Approved

Cadillac has finally received its official approval to join the 2026 Formula 1 grid, ending a year-long drama that started when General Motors and Andretti Global's application was initially rejected in January of 2024. With this final confirmation, GM's team is locked into its place as the 11th team competing in the upcoming F1 season. Although the team that joins the grid is an evolution of the original Andretti Global bid for an 11th F1 team that began with a tweet from Mario Andretti three years ago, the program has since morphed. The final version is now only Cadillac-branded, although it is still a partnership with the TWG Global parent group that owns Andretti Global. Michael Andretti, the namesake of the Andretti Global IndyCar and Formula E teams, announced plans to step away from his formal role with his teams in the 2024 offseason. TWG Global is also listed as the owner of NASCAR's Spire Motorsports and IMSA's Wayne Taylor Racing, both GM-affiliated programs. The Cadillac team still has not announced its drivers for the 2026 season, but it has made a few key technical hires. Former Marussia Team Principal Graeme Lowdon will fulfill the same role at the new team, while long-time GM racing standby Russ O'Blenes will lead the group's engine program in advance of plans to debut bespoke engines in a future season. Driver announcements are expected later in the year. Mark Reuss, president of GM, says that the Cadillac F1 team has been "has been accelerating its work" ahead of the 2026 season. "[GM is] incredibly grateful for the support from the FIA and Formula One Management leadership for us and for our collaboration with TWG," he said. "The excitement only grows as we get closer to showcasing GM's engineering expertise on the prestigious global stage of F1." GM's F1 program is its most ambitious operation yet, but the American automaker is not new to global racing. Corvette-branded GT cars and Cadillac-branded prototypes have competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the closely-related FIA World Endurance Championship for decades. Chevrolet and Cadillac branded operations also compete in IndyCar, NASCAR, IMSA, global GT3 racing, and NHRA drag racing. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car