Formula One announced Monday that General Motors will join the grid starting in 2026 with a team branded as Cadillac, raising the number of teams on the grid above 10 for the first time since 2016.
GM had been attempting to join the grid for years, but F1’s parent company, Liberty Media, rejected the plans led by Andretti Global after the FIA, the sport’s governing body, had initially approved the team’s application in 2023. F1 ultimately rejected the application in January, an issue that sparked a federal investigation.
But F1’s Monday announcement claimed it “maintained dialogue” with the American automotive manufacturer and said the group “achieved operational milestones” to get to this point. Legendary driver Michael Andretti stepped away from his company in September and turned over leadership duties to Dan Towriss and Mark Walter.
With GM in the fold, there will now be two U.S.-based teams on the grid, the other being Haas. Haas, which is currently sixth in the constructors’ championship, has struggled since joining the grid in 2016—including finishing last in two of the last three years. This season was a noticeable step up.
F1 has shown a clear focus on the U.S. market recently, with the addition of the Miami and Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
“With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport,” Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei said in a statement.
It’s not yet clear whether GM will choose to bring in an American driver to show a full commitment to the U.S. market. The last American F1 driver was Logan Sargeant, who joined Wiliams last year, but struggled to keep up with teammate Alex Albon and was replaced in August.
