Cadillac and Formula 1: America’s great hope

Yes to Cadillac, no to Andretti

The key reason why F1 thawed on its initial hard-frost response to this 11^th team joining the fray appears to have been a change in the fundamental proposal. What has now been accepted as an “agreement in principle” to welcome GM is a solid entry from Cadillac itself – not Michael Andretti’s eponymous organisation. There’s a difference.

So, was it personal? At least partly. Andretti’s combative approach to gaining access to the F1 paddock rubbed up plenty of key players the wrong way, from Mercedes chief Toto Wolff to those who called the shots within rights holder Liberty Media. It’s surely no coincidence that the Andretti name was conspicuous by its absence when F1 announced its thaw on November 25^th.

Michael Andretti himself has stepped away from the coalface of his operation, with TWG Global run by investor Dan Towriss now in control. It was Towriss who was quoted in the F1 statement last month. The excuse F1 gave for blocking the original entry was concern over the “value” it would bring led by Andretti, with GM/Cadillac merely in support as little more than a commercial sponsor.

That response was greeted as fatuous and downright insulting to the Andretti family by many. But what amounts now to a genuine Cadillac entry, with GM planning to introduce its own powertrain before the end of the decade, cannot be denied from the added-value perspective. By hook or by crook, the right call has finally been made, and you could say it’s a better deal now, with an American automotive giant making a direct, serious and substantial commitment.

So, where does Andretti fit in?

In terms of Michael, beyond the odd appearance in paddocks the answer appears to be, he doesn’t. But his old man will be much more visible. Mario, as America’s only living F1 champion, has been named a non-executive director. At 84, the 1978 world champion remains a committed F1 enthusiast and absolutely brings “value” to whatever he touches. He’ll make a great ambassador for the Caddy entry – although his wonderfully unvarnished approach when talking to the media might not always be deemed helpful by the team’s hierarchy… Keep on keeping it real, Mario!

Who is running the team?

Under TWG, there will be plenty of work going on right now to shift the pieces into place, between the team’s US headquarters and the UK satellite operation at Silverstone. Recruitment is ongoing, with the most prominent latest addition being team principal Graeme Lowdon, a popular British figure in F1 circles who previously ran the old Manor/Marussia operation, and who has been working hard on GM/Caddy/TWG’s behalf these past months. Lowdon knows the F1 ropes, is familiar with and to the key players at other teams and amounts to a canny recruitment.

On the engineering side, the spine of the team is based on solid experience, seemingly largely with previous history at the team now known as Alpine. Technical director Nick Chester, chief operating officer Rob White and technical advisor Pat Symonds are just the sort of F1 ‘lifers’ you’d want on board to set up a new team from scratch.

The Ferrari angle

Confirmation has landed recently that this first Cadillac F1 (it sounds like an oxymoron right now, doesn’t it?) will be propelled by a Ferrari powertrain. Such a concept would be as incongruous as the thought of a Cadillac racing car to the uninitiated. But of course, such arrangements are now common in F1. Renault-owned Alpine will, from 2026, be powered by Mercedes; Aston Martin will be powered by Honda. Such alliances that would once have appeared unthinkable are now the accepted norm.

The Caddy entry will essentially launch as a customer team enterprise, but on the promise that a true GM powertrain will transform it eventually into a genuine works effort. It’s also good news for Ferrari, which gains back a customer just as it loses Sauber to Audi.

What needs to happen next?

Well, obviously the team must finalise its car design and build its contender – and it’s worth pointing out that before the solid confirmation of its entry it can do so outside the confines of the budget cap.

But that entry will follow in time, and GM will have to cough up an eye-watering fee to make it so. The anti-dilution of revenue fees to compensate the other ten teams for their slimmer slices of the F1 is said to be $450 million (£356 million) alone.

And who might drive?

The driver line-up is surely the least of Cadillac’s problems. But the team’s arrival will create a degree of intrigue in the months ahead – especially for those current F1 drivers with cloudy futures and others with American passports looking for a way in.

A mix of experience and youth is often the way with new teams. Of the tried and trusted, Valtteri Bottas is surely an obvious option. The ten-time grand prix winner is falling back on a Mercedes reserve driver role now his largely unsatisfactory three-year stint with Sauber is up. The Finn is defiant that he is not yet done with F1, and Caddy could do a lot worse.

What about Yuki Tsunoda? Apparently underrated by Red Bull, the Japanese driver might be pinning his long-term hopes on an Aston Martin future once Honda’s partnership kicks in. But Caddy could be another option. Then there’s Daniel Ricciardo, who in the past week has been linked to a drive. But the Australian has appeared to distance himself from a return to F1, after his deflating termination from RB this season.

The bigger question is how much value GM will put in sticking an American in one of its cars. Options are obviously limited in this regard. Longtime Andretti favourite Colton Herta continues to be talked about. His improved IndyCar form in 2024, when he ended up second in the points to champion Alex Palou, helps his case – although he still needs to gain a Super Licence. Then there’s Jak Crawford, who did well in Formula 2 this year.

But for now, GM/Cadillac must focus on establishing the fundamentals of its entry. All-new teams are rare in F1 today. The last, which also happens to be American-owned, has experienced the slings and arrows of outrageous F1 fortune, although Haas is currently back on an upward curve. Will GM expect to match or exceed such a rival? As the past year or more has proven, the only expectation that matters for now is simply getting on the grid at all. It looks set to happen – but Cadillac has many miles yet to run before it does.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.