Cadillac F1 Team approved for 2026
An overview of one of the latest agreements with Formula One, as a new team comes into the spotlight to join the grid for the 2026 season.
FORMULA ONE
3/8/20251 min read
Cadillac F1 Team has officially been approved by FIA and will join the Formula One grid for the 2026 season.
March 2026 will welcome Cadillac to the FIA Formula One World Championship grid, seeing the expansion to 11 teams and 22 drivers and their newest Team Principal Graeme Lowdon.
The new team will be backed by both TWG Motorsports and General Motors, taking its name from their luxury brand, Cadillac.
This entry was originally decided back in November when General Motors secured an agreement to join the sport in principle for the 2026 season.
The confirmation comes after a previous bid from the US team Andretti, which was rejected by F1 and was highly linked to Cadillac.
The accepted bid witnessed GM's commitment to creating their own works engine in future years, with Russ O'Blenes being named as CEO of TWG GM Performance Power Units LLC. A new company set to aid Cadillac to become a future "full works" team - building both F1 chassis and power units.
Whilst the new company prepares, they have reached a deal with Ferrari to initially use Ferrari's engine and gearbox from the first season. This commitment plays a crucial role in swaying F1's decision on the original bid.
General Motors' attraction to this motorsport stems from the latest engine regulations, where the proportions of power produced in the hybrid section will increase from 20% to 50%, and chassis rules that are set to be implemented next year.
These updates are a fundamental factor when attracting car manufacturing companies and persuading those like Honda which were initially prepared to leave the sport.
Partnerships such as Red Bull and Ford have begun to emerge as they arrange to produce their own engines from 2026.
Audi has brought Sauber, taking over next year and rebranding it as their own, whereas Honda is switching from Red Bull to Aston Martin.
Sadly, Renault has terminated its long-running programme with Alpine, leaving them to buy Mercedes' engines from next season.
Is this a successful milestone for Formula One?