Formula 1 has confirmed it has agreed in principle with General Motors and its Cadillac brand over entering the series in 2026 as an 11th team.
The deal will see the GM-supported outfit join as a customer team in 2026, while developing its own in-house power units for 2028 and beyond, using the existing Andretti Global project in Silverstone as its backbone.
In a statement on Monday F1 confirmed that GM/Cadillac and the series have agreed a deal in principle for it to join its ranks in 2026.
“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,” said outgoing Liberty media CEO and president Greg Maffei.
“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.”
GM’s president Mark Reuss added: “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence.
“It’s an honour 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.”
GM officials had been in attendance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to discuss a deal with F1 and Liberty Media over an entry as an 11th expansion team as early as 2026.
The American manufacturer had long been working with Andretti Global on a prospective F1 bid, which was accepted by the governing body the FIA but refused entry by F1 itself because the bid wasn’t deemed to add enough value to the series.
There had also been tension between the organisation’s figurehead Michael Andretti and F1 executives over Andretti’s aggressive campaigning to force his way in, which included involving US Congress and the Department of Justice.
But in the wake of Andretti stepping back from his eponymous organisation and ceding control to majority owner Dan Towriss in September, Towriss and GM continued their efforts to present a more compelling bid with a bigger commitment from the American OEM as a bonafide constructor, a bid that has now been approved in principle.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the governing body was “fully supportive” of the latest development.
“General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners,” he said.
“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 2026.
“All parties, including the FIA, will continue to work together to ensure the process progresses smoothly.”
Despite F1’s initial rejection, Andretti Global continued building up its F1 programme at its Silverstone factory, where the team had been hiring numerous staff and producing a wind tunnel model of a 2026 car.
Senior arrivals include former F1 stalwart Pat Symonds and a number of former Alpine employees, with former Renault engine tech boss Rob White the latest to join the project as its COO.
In order to be ready for 2026, the Cadillac-branded GM effort will have to take over the existing Andretti Global project because of the short lead times involved.
GM also won’t have enough time to supply works engines before 2028, so the squad will have to do a deal for customer engines for the first two seasons. Its most likely options are Ferrari and Honda, with Andretti’s previous engine partner Renault abandoning its 2026 power unit project.
There has been speculation over GM taking over Renault’s 2026 engine IP, but it is now expected the US manufacturer will develop and build its own engines for 2028.
