Gary Anderson reveals the extensive ‘groundwork’ Cadillac are putting in ahead of their F1 debut

Cadillac have finally been granted an entry onto the Formula 1 grid for the 2026 season to become the 11th team in the field.

The American team have been pushing to join the grid for a number of years and agreed with Formula 1 after the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The Cadillac team may spark a lot more interest in North America amid an already booming market for the sport with three events in the United States.

Cadillac will be a significant presence in Formula 1 as they are owned by General Motors and will become a works team with their own engine before the end of the decade.

They will also be battling fellow American manufacturer Ford, who are teaming up with Red Bull from 2026 as an engine partner.

The Andretti name is no longer attached to the team after the attempt to bring the team into F1 known as ‘Andretti Cadillac’ wasn’t successful.

Gary Anderson told the Formula For Success podcast that Cadillac are preparing well for their Formula 1 debut in two years.

Cadillac are putting in extensive ‘groundwork’ such as crash tests

Formula 1 is a step up from any other category in motorsport as there is much more money involved, and the technology is a lot more complex.

This provides unique challenges as there very little margin for error and a lot that can go wrong within a Formula 1 team.

The fundamentals, such as crash tests, are critical to getting right, as they ensure the car complies with the championship rules.

READ MORE: Cadillac already have the ‘most important’ ingredient to enjoy success in Formula 1

Anderson explained that Cadillac are spending a lot of money to prepare for their Formula 1 debut as another engine manufacturer joins the grid.

He said: “We’re not sure what engines yet they’ll use. There’s talk about Ferrari. There’s talk about maybe the Honda. But at the end of the day, they’re putting together a package to go racing.

“I know they’ve built a chassis. I know they’ve done lots of crash tests. I know they’ve done rollover bar tests. They’ve done the groundwork to design a car, so they’re understanding where they are, the baseline at the moment for a 2025 car.

“That will never really race. I don’t believe it will ever race, but it’ll probably do some testing at the end of 2025 with a view to the 2026 car being based loosely on it. They’re doing all the groundwork correctly, they’re spending huge amounts of money right now.”

Cadillac will be joined by German manufacturer Audi, which will also join in 2026 as a new team on the grid. They are buying the Sauber team to become a works F1 outfit for the first time.

Cadillac haven’t yet announced who will drive for them in 2026

Cadillac will likely want to have an American driver in one of their cars in 2026 which may attract a lot more sponsors to the team.

There are very few options as Logan Sargeant struggled in Formula 1 and is now looking at other options for his career.

Cadillac may also be looking at when drivers will be out of contract ahead of 2026, with George Russell’s Mercedes deal running out at the end of next season.

Colton Herta may be a candidate as he drives for the Andretti Global team in IndyCar but does have a tendency to make costly, unforced errors.

An experienced driver in Formula 1 may be an option, such as Valtteri Bottas, who has won 10 Grands Prix and is leaving Sauber at the end of 2024.