F1 Agrees to GM/Cadillac Entry for 2026 Season

If you’ve been following the saga of the Andretti/Cadillac bid to join F1, you know that the pairing has faced lots of speed bumps and a major stall. In January, F1 said no thanks and told Andretti to try again in 2028; it didn’t think the fledgling team could be competitive, even with financial and engineering backing from General Motors. With that setback, we didn’t expect to hear good news on the venture any time soon. An F1 press release today changed all that.

“Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” reads the release, which continues: “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time.

“Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process and will provide further updates in due course.” The plan is for GM/Cadillac to race in 2026 and 2027 with a supplied engine and field its own engine starting in 2028.

Notably, neither the release from F1 nor the one from Cadillac mention Michael Andretti, pictured above, who has spearheaded the push for the new entry. That’s because Andretti stepped down as CEO of Andretti Global last month. (According a statement provided to Forbes, however, Andretti “remains engaged” with the company that bears his name “and will continue to serve as a strategic advisor and key ambassador.”)

In his stead, Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Global’s motorsports businesses, made a statement: “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1. Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world. We appreciate FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.”

TWG Global owns and operates Andretti Global as well as Wayne Taylor Racing, which will be running two of Cadillac’s V-Series.R cars in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship in 2025, and Spire Motorsports, which fields teams in NASCAR’s Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The new GM/Cadillac F1 team has facilities in Silverstone, England, and at three motorsports meccas in America: Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Fishers, Indiana, just outside of Indianapolis.

We’ll be looking forward to seeing another team on the F1 grid. Hopefully the addition spurs competition; especially as America is growing to appreciate the series, it could be a big win for F1 and Cadillac to have a familiar American brand in the sport. We don’t expect Cadillac to be an immediate contender, but a new set of rules in 2026 could shuffle things up.