In late November of 2024, Formula 1 announced that the highly-anticipated Cadillac F1 team had received provisional approval to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026.

Since then, Cadillac has been hard at work signing key players and preparing its car and facilities for next year’s big debut. But when will that provisional approval become a confirmed approval?

Stefano Domenicali issues major Cadillac F1 update

While many have assumed that November 2024’s Cadillac announcement guaranteed the prospective team a slot in Formula 1, that isn’t quite the case.

Important to note is that Cadillac’s acceptance was an agreement in principle — meaning key folks at Formula 1 saw the value in the entry but still wanted the outfit to demonstrate continued evolution and respect for the F1 rulebook.

We haven’t heard much from F1 or the FIA on that front since. At least, not until recently, when Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali issued a major update, as reported in the Mirror.

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“There is the formality that is related to the process that [is] almost ready,” Domenicali said.

“Together with the FIA there has to be an update and whenever this will be ready, it should be not too long, there will be an update to formalize what basically has already happened.

“So they will be ready to fight against or together with the other teams for next year.”

Speaking to F1 investors last week, Domenicali added, “Cadillac is preparing the entry— in terms of preparing the season, because it would not be an easy situation for them to be in such a high-tech and evolved sporting platform — they are doing everything in order to show how Cadillac is really involved into the sport.

“GM […] want to be a real constructor or a manufacturer that will invest in our sport because they do believe in the technological platform that the F1 can provide to their system.

“So I’m very, very happy that now this is on board, moving forward, and looking forward to see them on the track together with the other teams to fight for a great championship.”

Forming a Formula 1 team in the modern era is no simple task; it requires a massive amount of financial investment, and the ever-evolving rulebook means that prospective outfits will have to strongly consider a vast amount of minutiae to comply with regulations.

Because Cadillac also intends to become a constructor, it faces an additional slate of responsibilities and expectations. Formula 1’s initial rejection of Andretti Global came in part because it felt the outfit wasn’t prepared for the intense reality of F1; Cadillac has seemed to arrive with a much deeper understanding of those realities, but it is natural that there would continue to be efforts to monitor progress.

According to Domenicali, though, we should be hearing some positive updates soon.

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