Formula 1 has reached an ‘agreement in principle’ with the biggest car manufacturer in the US, General Motors under the Cadillac brand, to join the F1 grid as an 11th team from 2026.
It is a stunning U-turn from F1 after initially rejecting Andretti’s bid to join the grid for either 2025 or 2026, in what now appears to be a revised offer that puts Cadillac front and centre ahead of converting to a full works team from 2028.
General Motors was rumoured to be closing in on becoming F1’s 11th team over the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, with the plans now seemingly confirmed for the American giant to take over the operation that was previously led by Andretti.
Andretti was rejected on the basis that it did not add any commercial value to F1, while teams were also initially opposed to any team taking a bigger slice of the prize money pool.
Damon Hill has welcomed the news from Cadillac, sharing his excitement on social media while also welcoming Mario Andretti’s return, who is on board the project as an advisor. Martin Brundle has also reacted to the news in a separate post on X (formerly Twitter).
Martin Brundle ‘pleased’ at news that Cadillac is set to join F1 grid
GM will be utilising all of the existing expertise and knowledge built up by their staff since launching an F1 project heading into 2026, including the base that was recently opened in Silverstone.
Andretti has also had exclusive access to Toyota’s wind tunnel facility in Cologne since October last year, where it has been working on an early concept for the 2026 rules.
This enabled them to figure out a concept outside of the restrictions the other 10 teams are bound to, as they are not allowed to start work on their cars until January 2026. Brundle has welcomed the news and the possibility of more driving talent.
“With my F1 fan and TV commentator hats on I’m really pleased to see another team and two more drivers on the grid, and another manufacturer joining,” said Brundle.
Who could be part of Cadillac’s F1 driver lineup?
The addition of an 11th team means that there is now an extra two spots on the grid that need to be filled up for the 2026 season.
Several rookies will be vying for the seat who are competing in Formula 2, while Andretti and GM previously stated that they would like to see an American talent in their joint venture.
READ MORE: Karun Chandhok shares what he found surprising about Formula 1’s 2026 Cadillac team announcement
Ted Kravitz has suggested one driver that Cadillac could sign, with the race to secure a seat set to be very competitive.
Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick has told GM what they need to do to succeed, although it will be tough for the team to be competitive straight out of the box given how hard Haas found it in 2016.
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