The FIA and Formula 1 confirmed Friday that Cadillac's entry into the sport has been approved for 2026, officially paving the way for the American company to field a team. The F1 grid will now rise to 11 race teams next season, marking the first time in a decade that the grid has been expanded.
The official approval of Cadillac's entry comes one year after an agreement had been reached to allow the manufacturer to join the grid with a Ferrari engine supply, which they will proceed to do in the short term. However, parent company General Motors has committed to building its own engines by the end of the decade, with plans in place for an engine facility in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. In addition to Charlotte, the team will also have bases in Fishers, Indiana, Warren, Michigan, and Silverstone, England.
The approval marks a reversal from F1's original stance on Cadillac's entry, which had initially been opposed while being led by former F1 driver Michael Andretti. Cadillac's entry is now spearheaded by TWG Motorsports, the racing arm of TWG Global whose properties include Andretti Global, Spire Motorsports in NASCAR, Wayne Taylor Racing's GTP program in IMSA and Walkinshaw Andretti United in V8 Supercars.
"As we said in November, the commitment by General Motors to bring a Cadillac team to Formula 1 was an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport," read a statement by Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1. "I want to thank GM and TWG Motorsports for their constructive engagement over many months and look forward to welcoming the team on the grid from 2026 for what will be another exciting year for Formula 1."
FIA and Formula 1 can confirm that, following the completion of their respective sporting, technical and commercial assessments, the application by General Motors and TWG Motorsports to bring a Cadillac team to the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2026 has been approved.… pic.twitter.com/e6F3TtTHtL
— FIA (@fia) March 7, 2025
"Today marks a transformative moment, and I am proud to lead the Federation in this progressive step for the championship," read a statement by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. "The FIA Formula One Championship's expansion to an 11th team in 2026 is a milestone. GM/Cadillac brings fresh energy, aligning with the new FIA 2026 regulations and ushering in an exciting era for the sport."
The Cadillac team will join Haas F1 Team as the second American-owned team in Formula 1, and it also presents the prospect of bringing an American driver to the F1 grid. Much speculation concerning an American driver for the team has centered around IndyCar star Colton Herta, who is in position to earn a super license to compete in F1 should he finish fourth or better in this year's IndyCar championship standings.
Last week, Herta hedged on his interest in an F1 seat prior to the IndyCar opener in St. Petersburg, saying that he had grown "weary" of four years of questions concerning if he would make the switch to the global racing series. Other candidates for the team could reportedly include F1 drivers who currently do not have a ride for 2025 such as Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.
