In 2026, Formula 1 looks set to introduce an 11th team to the grid after an agreement in principle was reached with General Motors to become the sport’s latest manufacturer.
After months of toing and froing with Andretti, it now appears as though Formula 1’s newest team will arrive in the paddock under the Cadillac F1 moniker.
Cadillac and General Motors are huge names in the automotive industry and could play a key role in growing Formula 1 in the United States.
Liberty Media have already organised three races in the USA, and alongside the races in Montreal and Mexico City, are making a concerted effort to grow F1 in North America.
One of the biggest decisions that new team principal Graeme Lowdon has to make is which drivers to sign to race for the team during their maiden campaign.
Mario Andretti has backed Colton Herta to fulfil the American quota that Cadillac are seeking, although he needs to have a very strong 2025 IndyCar campaign to earn enough superlicence points to be on the F1 grid.
Sergio Perez’s team are interested in him racing for Cadillac, but another partnership may end up playing a role in the team’s selection.
Cadillac will initially use Ferrari power units when they enter the sport before General Motors’ engines are ready to use.
It will be a similar relationship to the one Haas have with Ferrari, which has helped Oliver Bearman earn a permanent seat in 2025.
After the recent test in Barcelona, Ferrari might be setting up Dino Beganovic for a potential F1 race seat with Cadillac next year.
Ferrari could be preparing Dino Beganovic for a 2026 Cadillac F1 seat after Barcelona test
Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm was speaking on a recent The Race F1 Podcast about Beganovic’s recent test and said: “I’ve had a thought that’s been bubbling away now for a few weeks.
“They’ve got a Ferrari customer engine deal for the next few years.
“And slightly unexpectedly, the Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic has now suddenly popped onto Ferrari’s radar more from an F1 perspective.
“He’s always looked good rather than great, I would say.
“And I think he was sort of trending nowhere in Formula 3 because that was kind of going all right. He was with Prema, he won races, but the title challenge never really materialized and he had a really nasty 2024 season that just kind of everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong.
“My understanding is he’s done quite a lot of simulator work with Ferrari already this year.
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“We know that he tested at the very end of the test that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc did in the 2023 car at Barcelona.
“And I think he’s in line to do more tests with Ferrari this year and some Friday practice outings.
“He’s almost ended up just about doing enough to get himself into being first in line for the next major Ferrari opportunities.
“If he nails his F1 auditions with Ferrari this year, we know that Ferrari loves putting in a young driver at a customer team, doesn’t it?
“So I wouldn’t rule out Beganovic in a Ferrari-powered Cadillac if all the stars align.”
Who is Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic and would he be a good fit for Cadillac in 2026?
As Mitchell-Malm explained, Beganovic’s recent rise through the ranks at Ferrari is slightly unexpected.
He won’t be one of Ferrari’s reserve drivers in 2025, that honour will be shared between Antonio Giovinazzi and Zhou Guanyu.
However, Beganovic taking part in Ferrari’s recent testing session in Barcelona shows how highly they currently rate him.
Beganovic is 21 years old and races under a Swedish flag even though he has dual Bosnian nationality.
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Ferrari signed Beganovic at the beginning of 2020 after winning two karting titles the previous year, going on to finish third in the Italian F4 Championship behind current Formula 2 rival Gabriele Mini.
Beganovic won the 2022 FRECA title before earning a promotion to Formula 3, although his two seasons at that level weren’t particularly eye-catching.
He competed in the final two rounds of Formula 2 last year and looked much more promising, but if he wants to be in contention to race for Cadillac in 2026, he’s almost certainly going to have to win the title this year.
