General Motors and TWG Global have agreed in principle with Formula One to bring a Cadillac team to the series in 2026, being the first new team to join F1 since 2016 and the eleventh team on the grid. GM will later launch an F1 power unit (PU) that will put the Cadillac team on the path to being a “full works” team by the end of the decade. This aims to highlight the luxury brand to an international audience and showcase GM’s technology and design capabilities.

“As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “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.”

Innovations created for F1 will contribute to GM’s push to drive the future of transportation, leveraging advanced software, electrification, powertrain, and internal combustion engine technology—though Cadillac has previously committed to an all-electric future by 2030.

“We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula One,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Global’s motorsports businesses. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world. We appreciate FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.’’

TWG Global owns and operates Andretti Global, Wayne Taylor Racing, and Spire Motorsports. Mario Andretti, the last U.S. F1 Champion, will serve as a director on the team’s board.

“My first love was Formula One and now—70 years later—the F1 paddock is still my happy place,” said Andretti. “I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula One, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss. To still be involved at this stage of my life—I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

Since GM’s bid to join F1 was announced in January 2023, Cadillac Formula One has assembled an experienced team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software, and vehicle dynamics simulation. The team—which will be run by Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter—has operations in Fishers, IN; Charlotte, NC; Warren, MI; and Silverstone, England.

Management at the FIA, the governing body for the Formula One World Championship, said it had maintained a dialogue with GM and its partners at TWG Global regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and rejection decision made by Formula One in January 2024.

“General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA. “I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula One, 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 on the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship.”

Since the beginning of the year, F1 execs say the potential team achieved operational milestones and made clear its commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac, with GM entering as an engine supplier at a later time, some reports saying 2028.

“With Formula One’s continued growth plans in the U.S., we have always believed that welcoming an impressive U.S. 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 Greg Maffei, President and CEO of Liberty Media, owner of the Formula One Group. “We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula One.”

 

New 2026 rules for more sustainable cars

In June, the FIA unveiled new F1 regulations for 2026 and beyond and ratified them through its World Motor Sport Council. In general, the new rules are intended to make the cars more agile, competitive, sustainable, and safer, with revised aerodynamics combined and new power units with significantly increased electrical power and the use of 100% sustainable fuels.

“Lighter, more powerful, and more focused on driver skill, the 2026 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations have been designed to provide closer racing among drivers, increase the competition between teams, and improve the spectacle,” said Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Single Seater Technical Director. “In addition, we have opted for a higher electrical component of the power unit, a more efficient car overall, and fully sustainable fuels, as part of our drive towards a more sustainable future for our sport.”

At the center of that vision is a redesigned power unit that features a more even split between the power derived from the internal combustion element and electrical power. F1 is introducing two new features to enhance racing: active aerodynamics to achieve very low drag on the straights and a manual override system that will provide drivers with an on-demand burst of battery power when close enough to the car ahead of them.

“The power-unit regulations have already resulted in a record number of PU manufacturers committing to the sport,” said Ben Sulayem. “And now, in tandem with chassis regulations that provide for lighter, more agile cars featuring innovative aerodynamic solutions, we have created a set of regulations designed to not only improve racing but also to make the championship even more attractive to PU manufacturers, OEMs, and existing competitors.

The F1 and FIA pursuit of net zero carbon by 2030is behind the switch on 2026 power units—already claimed to be the most efficient in the world—to run on fully sustainable fuels and the greater use of electrical power, the latter a shift toward a 50% electrical and 50% thermal power distribution.

While power from the hybrid unit will drop from 550-560 to 400 kW and the battery element will rise significantly from 120 to 350 kW. The amount of energy that can be recuperated during the braking phase will be doubled to 8.5 MJ per lap.

Cars will be smaller and lighter to make them more agile. The maximum wheelbase will be reduced by 200 mm (7.9 in) to 3400 mm (133.9 in) while the width will be cut by 100 mm (3.9 in) to 1900 mm (74.8 in). Mass will be set at a minimum of 768 kg (1693 lb), down 30 kg (66 lb). The 18-in wheel size will remain, however the width of the 2026-spec Pirelli front tires will be reduced by 25 mm (1 in) and the rears by 30 mm (1.2 in) compared to the previous generation.

For the new 2026 cars, downforce will be reduced by 30% and drag by 55%. Aerodynamic characteristics could be altered with a two-configuration system to either minimize fuel consumption or maximize cornering performance.

A new active aerodynamics system will involve movable front and rear wings. This will allow for greater cornering speeds with one wing angle deployed, lower drag and greater straight-line speed when the second angle is deployed. This system can be used in zones like those used for the current DRS overtaking aid.

Revised front impact structure rules introduce a two-stage nose design to mitigate the risk of detachment in initial impacts. Side intrusion rules are more stringent, while protection around the driver and fuel cell area has been improved.

 

Growing OEM support

The new power-unit regulations have led to commitments from existing suppliers Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz, although Renault announced its withdrawal last month. They enticed Honda to return and encouraged Audi and Ford to join, the latter through a partnership with Red Bull Powertrains.

In May 2023, Honda announced plans for a “works” partnership with the Aston Martin F1 team to supply power units compliant with the new regulations. Honda says that F1’s pursuit of carbon neutrality is consistent with its direction.

“One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies,” said Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda.

The key to winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor, with a high-performance battery capable of handling “high and swift” power output, and energy management technology. Honda believes that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge could be applied to its future mass production EVs such as an electric flagship sports model and electrification technologies in various areas including an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) currently under research and development.

“In the midst of major changes in our business and the motorsports environment leading toward the transition to a carbon-neutral society, we have re-established HRC as an optimal platform to sustain and further evolve motorsport activities as a Honda strength,” said Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation.

The Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) will assume responsibility for the development of F1 power units, race participation, and management. In March, it announced a new UK company to primarily perform post-race maintenance and preparation tasks on the Honda-built F1 power units while also operating as a logistics operation for the European region.

In August 2022, Audi announced it was entering F1 with a specially developed power unit for strategic partner Sauber. It cited the series as a spectacular platform for the most demanding electrified racing cars in the world and one of the sporting events with the highest reach in the world, being popular in key markets such as China and the U.S., and among young target groups. The German OEM is on its way to being a full factory team in 2026 after acquiring all shares in the Sauber in March.

“Formula 1 is both a global stage for our brand and a highly challenging development laboratory,” said former Audi CEO Markus Duesmann in 2022. “The combination of high performance and competition is always a driver of innovation and technology transfer in our industry. With the new rules, now is the right time for us to get involved. After all, Formula 1 and Audi both pursue clear sustainability goals.”

The key for the German OEM in getting involved in the world’s most popular racing series is a clear plan to become more sustainable and cost-efficient. The new technical rules focus on greater electrification and advanced sustainable fuel. In addition to the existing cap on costs for teams, the company cited a cost cap for power-unit manufacturers introduced in 2023 and that F1 has the ambitious goal of being a carbon-neutral racing series by 2030.

Just last week, Audi announced that Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) would acquire a significant minority stake in Sauber Holding AG, the future factory team for Audi. QIA’s investment will provide a substantial capital injection and pave the way for increasing infrastructure and team buildout, with both facilities in Neuburg and Hinwil ramping up to meet F1 standards.

In July, Audi announced an exclusive sponsorship and technical partnership with BP to become its first official partner of the future factory team. BP will develop FIA-specified advanced sustainable fuel and its Castrol unit will develop lubricants for Audi’s V6 turbo engine and fluids for the electric motor and battery.

After more than two decades, Ford announced its return to Formula One in April 2023, joining with Red Bull Powertrains to develop Red Bull Ford hybrid power units for both the Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri (now RB) teams from 2026 to at least 2030.

“Ford’s return to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing is all about where we are going as a company—increasingly electric, software-defined, modern vehicles and experiences,” said Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Co., in April 2023. “F1 will be an incredibly cost-effective platform to innovate, share ideas and technologies, and engage with tens of millions of new customers.”

Ford will provide technical expertise in all areas where it can add value, with areas being explored together in the combustion engine development, key developments like battery cell and electric motor technology, and power-unit control software and analytics.