General Motors is officially coming to Formula 1, which announced Monday that it “reached an agreement on principle” to bring the American manufacturer on in 2026.
The F1 grid will expand to 11 teams that year. It had been 10 teams since 2017.
F1 previously rejected a bid by Andretti Global to partner with GM for an 11th team, but that didn’t mean F1 was against expansion in general.
“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,” a statement on F1’s website said.
“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.”
There had been tension between F1 and Michael Andretti, who aggressively campaigned for a team and called F1 “greedy” for not accepting his bid. But he has stepped back from his role in Andretti Global this year, and his father, famed F1 driver Mario Andretti, was named a director on the GM/Cadillac team’s board.
Mario Andretti, 84, said in a statement that he is “absolutely thrilled” with the development: “To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
“As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence,” GM president Mark Reuss added in a statement. “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.”
–Field Level Media