Cadillac’s entry for the 2026 Formula 1 season has been rubber-stamped, confirming the grid will rise to 11 teams from next year.
Last year F1 and the FIA reached an agreement in principal to allow Cadillac to join the grid with a Ferrari engine supply. On Friday that became full confirmation of entry.
The American company will race with Ferrari engines in the short term, although General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company, has committed to building its own engines out of a U.S. headquarters by the end of the decade.
Cadillac has an F1 facility near Silverstone for the race team, but has already put plans in motion for an engine facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team will primarily operate out of an F1 headquarters.
That point was key in F1 changing its stance on the bid — there had been opposition when the bid had initially been put forward under the Andretti name, with GM/Cadillac initially in more of a supporting role technically.
The arrival of a global manufacturer will be a major coup for F1, which already has Audi taking over the Sauber team next season.
Cadillac are yet to announce drivers for the F1 project.
Colton Herta, seen as the most realistic candidate, recently hedged on his interest in switching to F1 when asked at the IndyCar season opener.
Sergio Pérez and Daniel Ricciardo, both ousted from the Red Bull programme last year, are two big-name free agents.
– How GM got its place in F1 for 2026
– Cadillac to build F1 engines out of U.S. in big ‘works team’ step
