Cadillac F1 announcement now 'inevitable' – Brown

Nov.24 (GMM) The deal is signed and sealed but under wraps for now – ‘Cadillac F1’ will debut in Formula 1 in 2026.

AP news agency cited “several” anonymous industry sources as saying the Liberty Media-owned sport doesn’t want to make the news official on the day of its prestigious Las Vegas GP.

Sky Italia claims the announcement will be made this coming week.

A reported condition of Cadillac being granted the eleventh F1 team slot is that the Andretti name needed to be dropped, even though the team will be based out of Andretti Global’s new Silverstone headquarters.

Ferrari is expected to supply the power units in 2026 and 2027, with Cadillac owner General Motors (GM) to then build its own engines from 2028.

“The discussion is between FIA, the team, and FOM,” Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur said in Las Vegas. “It’s not our choice.

“But if it’s good for the sport, good for the show, good for the business, and adds value on the sporting side, that we are all ok.”

Sky Deutschland and Blick newspaper said the car is also being developed in the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne.

Zak Brown, McLaren CEO, hinted that he already knows Cadillac F1 will debut in 2026.

“We haven’t been told officially, but we are involved with GM with our Indycar team, I’ve seen them here and they seem to have big smiles on their faces,” said the American.

“So I think an announcement is probably inevitable and it would be great to have another manufacturer join our sport alongside Audi. GM has a great history in motorsports, so I think it’s great – more competition. The fans will definitely be excited.”

It is believed Cadillac will need to pay between $200-$600 million in a new team entry fee that will help to compensate the dilution of the prize pool for the existing ten teams.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is quoted as saying by Kleine Zeitung: “I don’t want the prize pot to be diluted as a result, but it’s probably going to cost us all a little bit.”