General Motors to enter the sport in 2026, before becoming a power unit manufacturer in 2028
F1 and General Motors have reached an agreement in principle for it to enter the sport as a works team and the eleven team taking the number of works teams to six and entries to eleven from 2026. The move comes just ten months after F1 rejected a joint bid by GM and US-owned Andretti Autosport bid to enter the sport.
Confirming news of the deal in statements released by F1 and General Motors on Monday evening, the latter said the agreement would bring “a Cadillac team” to the grid from 2026 and that the outfit would also run its own engine “by the end of the decade”. While the sports governing body accepted the deal, Liberty rejected a commercial deal.
A statement on Monday said that GM and its partner, the US group TWG Global, had committed to name a new team after GM’s luxury Cadillac brand and to build its own engine “at a later time”. F1 said the application process would “move forward”.
Outgoing Liberty CEO Greg Maffei said, “Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport.”
“We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1. We are excited to move forward with the application process for the GM/Cadillac team to enter the Championship in 2026.”
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of F1’s governing body the FIA, said: “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) world and is working with impressive partners.
“I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team onto the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship.”
As an interim measure, while it develops its own power unit which is not expected until 2028, the US manufacturer will need to agree on a deal with one of the six power units providers for 2026 and 2027. But they are effectively taking over the Sauber engine as the team becomes the works Audi entry.
The original bid was rejected because F1 at the time did not believe the Andretti project, which was in partnership with Cadillac, would add value to the sport. This revised bid is viewed differently because it will be GM entering as a team owner.
The new team will be a joint effort between GM and TWG, with Dan Towriss, owner of US team Andretti Global, and TWG’s Mark Walter as the other key investors. But Michael Andretti is no longer involved in the new entry having stepped down in September.
It has been reported that one of the reasons the Andretti bid was rejected was because of Andretti’s confrontational approach to trying to enter the sport, as well as ‘rubbing people up the wrong way.’ But his father former world champion Mario is said to be involved as an advisor.
Writing on X, the Italian-American said, “Feel very lucky that I’ve been able to stick around for this long and do what I love for so long. And the idea that the Cadillac F1 Team wants me around… I’ll help where I can, a non-executive role with the team, not involved in day-to-day operations (because I don’t want a job), but offering advice, inspiration, friendship anywhere I can. I am beyond fortunate.”
The entry raises the number to six, Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda are remaining in the sport. Though Honda technically withdrew and it engine is currently operated by Red Bull, but it will return was a works deal with Aston Martin. GM will also work with Red Bull/RB through a partnership with the Ford division