That's it, the Cadillac adventure is really concrete! A few months after the validation of its arrival in Formula 1 as the eleventh team in 2026, announced at the end of November, the American firm can now – like the ten other teams – work on the aerodynamics of its very first single-seater. Since January 1, all teams can use the wind tunnel and CFD to design their F1 2026, and this obviously applies to the new General Motors team.
Cadillac and the TWG Global teams – which also includes the Andretti structure – now have a year to design a Formula 1 car starting from a blank sheet… or almost. The backbone of Cadillac's future F1 is already known, since GM has entered into a partnership with Ferrari for the supply of the Italian manufacturer's engines and gearboxes.
This January 1, the American team also recorded a major arrival in its ranks: the experienced Pat Symonds, a renowned engineer who has notably worked with Toleman, Benetton, Renault and Williams, officially took up his new role as executive advisor in engineering for Cadillac F1 Team. At 71, the Briton is embarking on an incredible new challenge, perhaps the biggest of his long career. “It’s an exciting challenge because, if 2026 pre-season testing follows the pattern of 2014 – when we last had a new powertrain – we have less than 400 days until the car starts.”recalls Pat Symonds in a LinkedIn post.
Create a new team, « a daunting but well-researched task”
Despite the immense task of creating and setting up a team in such a short time, especially in our time when the arrival of a new team is extremely rare (no new team since Haas, in 2016), Pat Symonds is confident about the ability of General Motors to give itself the means to achieve its ambitions and create a competitive team from its first year in Formula 1. The 71-year-old manager underlines that the recruitments and efforts already produced over the last two years, when Andretti was a candidate for an arrival in Formula 1, will be essential for the development of Cadillac F1 Team. Remember that the American team has already recruited side engineers, such as Rob White as director of operations or Nick Chester as technical director.
“Building a Formula 1 car is a daunting but well-documented task, says British engineer. The timelines and gateways are well established, and the team already has a large number of experienced people who have been designing and developing the car for some time. Alongside them, others have put in place the necessary processes to ensure we can meet the tight deadlines and unwavering quality demanded by Formula 1. At the same time, we are putting in place the infrastructure necessary to meet this challenge. challenge at our Silverstone base. Starting from scratch presents many more opportunities than challenges. The team will be built based not only on the highest engineering standards, but also the highest ESG standards, and we will strive to make it the best team to work for in Formula 1.”
The American team based in Fishers, Indiana (with a branch in Silverstone, England), must also find its two drivers to launch the project in 2026. Several names appear in the list of contenders, with Colton Herta as favorite , but no official indication has been given by Cadillac at the time of writing.
READ ALSO > Hamilton with Ferrari, three French people in F1, Fourmaux at Hyundai… 10 reasons to be enthusiastic for 2025!
Related News :