General Motors entered Formula One under its Cadillac brand as the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, making its debut as a constructor in the 2026 F1 World Championship—the first new constructor to join the F1 grid since Haas in 2016. Partnering with American motorsports organisation TWG Motorsports through its British subsidiary, TWG Cadillac Formula 1 Team Ltd., GM would later expand its involvement by becoming a power unit manufacturer by the decade’s end.
The ambitious project spans multiple locations, with facilities in Indiana, Michigan, and North Carolina. The engine department will be headquartered in Indiana, and an additional UK-based operation will be located in Silverstone.
Current Cadillac Drivers
Since announcing its bid to enter Formula 1, the Cadillac outfit—which operates bases in Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone, England—has built a team of over 200 people focused on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software engineering, and vehicle dynamics simulation. While development efforts continue at pace ahead of their arrival on the grid in 2026, the team has yet to announce its driver lineup.
Formula One History Recommends
Full Team Name: Cadillac Formula 1 Team
Base: Fishers, Indiana, U.S. / Warren, Michigan, U.S. / Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England
Team Chief: Graeme Lowdon (Team Principal) and Dan Towriss (CEO)
Technical Chief: Nick Chester
First Team Entry: 2026
World Championships: 0
In January 2023, General Motors (GM) partnered with Michael Andretti’s Andretti Global to pursue a Formula One entry under the Cadillac brand. Although the FIA approved their proposal, Formula One Group initially rejected the bid, citing GM’s lack of commitment to building its own F1 engines. Nevertheless, Andretti pressed ahead with preparations, notably using the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne—previously used by McLaren—as part of their development efforts.
By November 2024, following extended disputes and stalled negotiations, the project shifted direction when TWG Global, a sponsor led by billionaire Mark Walter, assumed control from the Andretti family. Michael Andretti stayed on as an advisor, while his father, Mario Andretti, the 1978 Drivers’ Championship winner with Lotus, joined the board of directors. The team’s UK-based arm was rebranded from Andretti Racing to Cadillac, and eventually became TWG Cadillac Formula 1 Team Ltd. Later that month, Formula One granted provisional approval for Cadillac’s 2026 entry, with full approval following in March 2025. Cadillac became the first new constructor to join the grid since Haas in 2016, signing the Concorde Agreement and paying a hefty US$450 million expansion fee. While GM works toward developing its own engines, the team will initially compete using Ferrari power units.
Cadillac Power Units
General Motors (GM) and TWG established GM Performance Power Units LLC (GM PPU) to develop works engines specifically for the Cadillac Formula One team. Longtime GM engine designer Russ O’Blenes was appointed to lead the engine division. Reports also surfaced, notably from journalist Joe Saward, that GM was exploring the acquisition of intellectual property from the former Renault power unit program, potentially accelerating development efforts.
Cadillac expects GM PPU to deliver a fully operational engine by the 2028 season. In the meantime, Ferrari announced in December 2024 that Cadillac had signed a multi-year agreement to use Ferrari engines and gearboxes starting in 2026. To support its power unit ambitions, GM PPU revealed plans to invest $65–70 million in constructing a new engine factory, set to employ 300–350 staff and open in early 2027. An additional $75–80 million will be allocated toward launching and scaling operations at the facility.
General Motors F1 Involvement in the 1950s
Unknown to most, several General Motors (GM) marques were involved in the Indianapolis 500 during the years it counted toward the FIA World Championship of Drivers, from 1950 to 1960. Although none of GM’s entries made it to the starting grid, the company’s early efforts beacame its first brush with top-level international motorsport.
In 1951, Gordon Reid entered a Silnes car powered by a Chevrolet engine but failed to qualify. The following year, Johnny Fedricks attempted to qualify a Cadillac-engined Kurtis Kraft car, also without success. In 1953, Bill Homeier made a similar attempt with another Cadillac-powered Kurtis Kraft car, but he too failed to make the final grid. Despite the lack of results, these entries were GM’s first in the sport.