- Cadillac plans to enter F1 in 2026 as an 11th team
- Cadillac will initially use power units supplied by Ferrari
- GM is working on its own power unit, but it won’t be eligible before 2028
Cadillac’s entry into Formula 1 with its own team reached another milestone on Tuesday with the signing of a supply deal with Ferrari for power units and transmissions.
General Motors and its partner for the F1 endeavor, TWG Global, the parent company of Andretti Global and multiple other racing teams, reached an agreement in principle with F1 organizers in November to get Cadillac on the grid as an 11th team by 2026.
GM is already working in earnest on its own F1 power unit, but because it only applied to become an F1 power unit supplier in 2023, per FIA rules, its power unit can’t be used until the 2028 season at the earliest. The Cadillac team will thus use Ferrari power units in the interim.
In addition to its own team, Ferrari currently supplies power units to America’s Haas. Ferrari also supplied power units to the former Marussia team, whose sporting director, Graeme Lowdon, is set to serve as team principal of the Cadillac team.
Cadillac will enter F1 just as the sport introduces significantly new rules, particularly in the area of power units. The power unit rules for 2026 maintain the current format of a turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 engine and hybrid system, but with reduced power from the engine and more reliance on the hybrid system. The V-6 will also have to run on fully sustainable fuel.
Audi will also join F1 in 2026 with its own team and power unit. Audi has already taken over the current Sauber team and will rebrand it as Audi in 2026.
Ford is also set to return to F1 in 2026, though only as a technical partner of Red Bull Racing. Ford has an extensive history in F1, mostly as a power unit supplier. Its most active participation, however, was when it purchased the Stewart Grand Prix team in 1999 and rebranded it as Jaguar the following year (Ford owned Jaguar at the time). Ford ultimately sold the team to Red Bull at the end of 2004.
