General Motors agrees an ‘agreement in principle’ with Formula One

Formula 1 approves General Motors as an eleventh team starting in 2026, after the US car giant reached an agreement in principle to enter the pinnacle of motorsport with its Cadillac brand.

General Motors and TWG Global have confirmed that they have reached an agreement in principle with Formula 1 to bring a Cadillac team to the series in 2026.

In addition, the US car giant is also launching an F1 power unit that will put the Cadillac Formula 1 Team on the path to being a “full works” team — building its own F1 vehicles and power units — by the end of the decade.

Cadillac would be the first new team to join F1 since 2016 and the eleventh team on the grid.

GM has noted that innovations created for F1 will contribute to its “push to drive the future of transportation, leveraging advanced electrification, powertrain, software, and internal combustion engine technology for consumers around the globe. Launching an F1 team will also highlight the Cadillac brand to a diverse international audience, showcasing GM’s technology and design capabilities.”

Commenting on the announcement, GM President Mark Reuss added: “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world.

“This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”

“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. We appreciate FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.’’

Mario Andretti, the last American F1 Champion, who will serve as a director on the team’s board commented: “My first love was Formula 1 and now – 70 years later – the F1 paddock is still my happy place.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss. To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

Since GM’s bid to join F1 was announced in January 2023, Cadillac Formula 1 has assembled an experienced team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software, and vehicle dynamics simulation. The team has operations in Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone, England.

GM has decades of racing success and a rich history of developing high-performance powertrains with over 3,000 wins and more than 100 driver and manufacturer motorsports championships.

In addition to the Cadillac F1 partnership with GM, TWG Global owns and operates Andretti Global, Wayne Taylor Racing, and Spire Motorsports.

Commenting on the agreement, Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media, said: “With 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.”

Speaking of the announcement, Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1 added: “General Motors and Cadillac’s commitment to this project is an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport.

“We look forward to seeing the progress and growth of this application, certain of the full collaboration and support of all the parties involved.”

Reflecting on the agreement, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA: “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM 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 on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship. All parties, including the FIA, will continue to work together to ensure the process progresses smoothly.”