That's it: after months – or rather years – of negotiations, discussions, refusals and disagreements, there will indeed be an 11th team on the Formula 1 grid from 2026, with the arrival of General Motors and the Cadillac F1 Team. An arrival which was made not without sacrifice in the American clan, since the name Andretti – which was at the origin of the candidacy – was completely erased, or almost, in the official name…
In any case, Cadillac now has a year to prepare for the big leap into Formula 1. A very short deadline for a new team, especially since General Motors does not plan to use an in-house engine block before 2028. Training American company, which will be based in Fishers in Indiana – with a branch in Silverstone, England – must then find an engine manufacturer in the meantime, but also two drivers to launch the project and compete in the first season of the Cadillac F1 team. Team.
Engine: which partner before the GM engine?
This is the big question that arises after the acceptance of the arrival of General Motors from 2026: with which engine will Cadillac F1 Team run for its debut in the discipline. The guarantee of producing an in-house engine at the end of the 2020s was one of the main arguments to convince F1 to open its doors to the American group, but obviously the engine cannot be ready for a little while.
It would take at least three years to design a power unit from A to Z: for example, Audi began work at the end of 2022 in anticipation of an arrival in 2026. If there was once a question of purchasing the intellectual property of Renault's 2026 engine, stillborn since the announcement of the end of the program at Viry-Châtillon, Bruno Famin categorically ruled out this possibility in our columns at the end of October. However, in the Las Vegas paddock, it was still rumored that a secret agreement had already been concluded between GM and Renault to save time, skills, but also save a lot of development money…
Even in the event of a secret agreement and takeover of the Renault engine, Cadillac will certainly have to begin its adventure in Formula 1 as a customer team in 2026… and the options are relatively limited. The Audi and RBPT-Ford options should be eliminated from the outset since they will be two new engine manufacturers and logically they should not supply teams other than their own. Mercedes is also not an option since after entering into a partnership with Alpine, the Star brand will already be complete with three customer teams (McLaren, Williams, Alpine) and one factory (Mercedes).
There then remain two valid options: Honda and Ferrari. If the Japanese engine manufacturer has signed an exclusive contract with Aston Martin for the supply of engines from 2026, it could be obliged by Formula 1 to offer its power unit to Cadillac. Ferrari is also in the same situation, although the Prancing Horse already supplies Haas until at least 2028. In all cases, the choice will be between these two engine manufacturers.
Drivers: Herta on pole… what next?
If the choice of engine manufacturer is limited to two possibilities in 2026, among the drivers, Cadillac will really be spoiled for choice to launch its adventure in Formula 1. However, one of the two available seats already seems to have been acquired by a man in particular : Colton Herta. The 24-year-old American – who will be 26 at the start of the 2026 season – was at the center of an incredible soap opera in the fall of 2022, when Red Bull tried to place him at AlphaTauri to replace Pierre Gasly who was leaving for Alpine. Unfortunately, the Californian did not have enough points on his Super License to make his debut in Formula 1.
Two years after this saga, Colton Herta is very close to obtaining his Super License – he only lacks one point, which can be acquired during a practice session – and would logically be at the top of the list of candidates potential for Cadillac. The IndyCar driver has been a protégé of the Andretti clan for many years and even if the Andretti name was almost erased from the shelves to allow GM to arrive in F1, the 2024 IndyCar runner-up has always been among the favorites if the American structure obtained its entry ticket.
Another American could also appear in this situation: Josef Newgarden, who already has the Super License thanks to his IndyCar titles. At the start of the year, Michael Andretti – who is no longer in the project – would have liked to recruit the double winner of the Indy500 to lead the F1 project. In both cases, it would seem logical that Cadillac would trust an American driver to be part of the project.
The question of the second driver, on the other hand, is much more open with almost infinite possibilities. Will Cadillac choose experience, with a driver who has already driven several seasons in Formula 1, to carry out the project? Or will it recruit a promising young company in order to build the future? Certain names (and rumors) will certainly come back in the coming months: will we see a final return of Daniel Ricciardo to the discipline? Could a Valtteri Bottas or a Kevin Magnussen, who will be on the sidelines in 2025, make a comeback with the American team thanks to their experience? Will Felipe Drugovich – who drives for Cadillac in Endurance, let’s point out – finally get his chance? Will a driver who reaches the end of his contract in 2025 be interested in the project, despite the risk of playing at the back of the pack in 2026? In short, Cadillac still has one year to make its choice!
READ ALSO > Decryption – Why did F1 finally accept the arrival of General Motors as the 11th team in 2026?
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