Guenther Steiner will be furious with Cadillac chief’s Haas comparison ahead of their 2026 Formula 1 debut

Cadillac are set to become the first new team to enter Formula 1 next season since Haas’ introduction nearly 10 years ago.

Haas were led onto the grid at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix by team principal Guenther Steiner and scored points on their debut thanks to Romain Grosjean.

Steiner believed Haas wouldn’t have survived without Ferrari during that first season, but they have established themselves as one of the strongest teams in Formula 1’s midfield after a few campaigns where they were rooted to the bottom of the constructors’ championship.

F1’s newest debutants Cadillac face a very different challenge to Haas when they arrive in the paddock next season.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon is hastily building up a team of backroom staff to design a car for a new set of regulations with testing only eight months away.

Cadillac are also working alongside Ferrari, using their power units until General Motors are ready to introduce their engine to the sport in 2029.

Lowdon has now explained why he thinks Cadillac face a tougher task than Haas under Steiner during their debut season, and his reasoning might not go down well with the former team principal.

READ MORE: All to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota ties

Cadillac boss thinks Haas’ debut F1 season was ‘significantly simpler’ than their 2026 campaign

Lowdon was asked by The Race if Cadillac hoped to be somewhere between where Haas were in their first season and the doomed teams who joined the grid in 2010 and responded, “Your summary’s actually correct.

“If all we have to do is what Haas had to do, then this will be significantly simpler. And I don’t want to disrespect what they did. It’s just different. And I think a lot of people don’t understand that.

“There’s a lot of regulations that we’re already under. There are a lot of nuances, none of this existed when Haas came in. So the game’s changed a lot.

“It also happened when three teams came in for the 2010 season. And it was very clear that the goalposts then didn’t just move, they went into a different universe. It was unreal, what happened back then, and it had very obvious results.

“There’s no magic or science. And a lot of people, certainly in the team that we ran, a big majority of those people are still in Formula 1 teams winning championships.

“So, you can’t point the finger at these teams. It was the circumstance. And they were in two parallel championships if you like.

“That certainly went a long way in the opposite direction from when Haas came in, and now it’s somewhere in the middle.

“It’s not easy setting one of these up in any case. But there’s a lot of things that are regulated now that weren’t in place the last time somebody came in.

“But that’s just the way it is. We knew that would be the case.”

READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 team from engine to drivers

Who will be driving for Cadillac in Formula 1 in 2026?

Cadillac are already crash testing their car for next year, and will hope that they can rely on a strong Ferrari power unit like Haas in 2026.

Steiner will disagree that Haas’ expectations were set lower than what Cadillac have to deal with, as he needed to prove the team was a viable outfit to continue getting enough funding from Gene Haas to remain in the paddock.

Cadillac know that one of the aspects they need to nail this year is securing the strongest driver line-up possible.

Mario Andretti has offered an update on Sergio Perez after the Mexican driver was linked with a return to F1.

Mick Schumacher has impressed Andretti during a recent meeting, and the German media are desperate to see him return to the grid after his difficult spell with Haas.