Formula 1 has confirmed the intention for the arrival of a new 11th team on the grid for 2026, with a Cadillac General Motors-backed entry entering the arena.

After months of speculation, a GM-backed entry branded as Cadillac has been confirmed as having an agreement in principal to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026.

Cadillac/General Motors to enter Formula 1

Formula 1 is set to have a Cadillac-branded team from General Motors on the grid in 2026.

The saga of an 11th F1 team stems back to the end of last year, when Michael Andretti’s eponymous organisation signaled its intention to enter Formula 1 and entered the formal tendering process begun by the FIA.

One of several tenders to apply for the position of a prospective 11th team, Andretti was the only applicant to pass the FIA’s stress tests and the application was forwarded to the commercial rights holder FOM for further consideration.

However, having secured the backing of US manufacturing giant General Motors, the Andretti application was, rather brutally, rejected by FOM – however, the door was left open for GM to go it alone.

In the months since the rejection, the prospective Andretti team has begun building up its facilities near Silverstone and at its US campus, while also beginning the process of recruitment for its workforce – major names like Graeme Lowdon and Pat Symonds have already committed to the project.

Andretti didn’t take the rejection lying down, going as far as US Congress to plead its case, with a resulting antitrust investigation ensuing from the US Department of Justice into the actions of Liberty Media and CEO Greg Maffei.

In September, Michael Andretti stepped down from his role as CEO of Andretti Global, with Maffei, last week, confirming he will depart his role at the end of 2024 – the end of his contract.

With GM’s involvement in the Andretti team remaining unwavering, the American giant will take the lead on the branding of the new F1 team, with the initially Andretti-led programme slowly evolving into a GM-led project with Dan Towriss at the helm.

“General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners,” said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM, and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application to bring a GM/Cadillac branded team onto the grid for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. All parties, including the FIA, will continue to work together to ensure the process progresses smoothly.”

Breaking news. More to follow.

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