Cadillac Wins The Fight For F1: Mario Andretti Named Team Director

For the first time since 2016, a new team is joining Formula 1 — Cadillac. Nearly two years after General Motors first announced it was launching a bid to join the premier class of international racing for open-wheel, single-seater formula racing cars, the automaker, along with TWG Global, have reached an agreement in principle with F1 to introduce a Cadillac team to the series in 2026.

Since that bid first began, GM has been assembling its team, which will include board member Mario Andretti. Additionally, GM is also launching an F1 power unit that will eventually allow the Cadillac F1 team to be "full works," which means it will build its own vehicles and power units for its races. GM is hoping Cadillac will be a full works team by 2030.

This will give GM and Cadillac more control over their own vehicles and a chance to develop innovative new high-performance engineering, including software, vehicle dynamics simulation, aerodynamics, and chassis and component development. It will also help showcase the brand to the million-plus viewers who have made Formula One among the fastest-growing sports in the world. While Cadillac has been around since the turn of the last century, GM has made it clear it's looking toward the future rather than the past with its new Caddys. Earlier this year, it unveiled its futuristic concept coupe, the Cadillac Opulent Velocity. It's very possible that technology developed by its F1 team may also find its way into street-legal passenger cars at some point.

"As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence," said GM President Mark Reuss in a statement. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level."

Formula One racing isn't just about the vehicles but the people behind them — which is exactly why it's such a tough sport to win. Cadillac isn't taking its spot as F1's eleventh team lightly and is bringing some of the biggest names in auto racing into the fold to ensure it's a Caddy that crosses the finish line first.

"We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," said Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Global's motorsports businesses. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." This world-class team will include none other than automotive Hall of Famer Mario Andretti, who has won the Indy 500, Daytona 500, a dozen Grands Prix, and many other races — some of them while driving a 1965 Ford Brawner Hawk. In fact, Andretti was the last American to have been an F1 champion — though GM, who has enlisted the 84-year-old for its board of directors, clearly hopes he can bring future victories to the Cadillac team.

"My first love was Formula 1," said Andretti, "and now — 70 years later — the F1 paddock is still my happy place." He continued, "To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming." With operations in Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone, England, Andretti and the Cadillac team will officially compete in their first F1 circuit in 2026. Hopefully, the first Caddy they produce and race won't end up on the list of the worst F1 cars ever made.