Formula 1 has formally confirmed that Cadillac will join the grid as the 11th team in 2026, inviting the question of who will drive for the General Motors brand’s debut?
Not since Haas joined the travelling circus that is the Formula 1 grid in 2016 has the pinnacle of motorsport welcomed a new team. But, two years after the FIA first invited potential new outfits to apply to be the 11th F1 team, General Motors is officially bringing Cadillac in 2026.
F1 initially rejected an application from Andretti to become its 11th team, despite the squad receiving approval from the FIA. Yet the series pulled a U-turn once Michael Andretti left the project and General Motors committed to Cadillac becoming a factory F1 team in the future.
READ MORE: All to know about General Motors’ Cadillac F1 team from engine to drivers
Cadillac will now debut in Formula 1 in 2026 as an engine customer of Ferrari whilst starting to design their own power unit at their factory in North Carolina, with the goal of becoming a full works operation from 2028 at the earliest. Cadillac will even have a base at Silverstone.
Mick Schumacher does not rule out joining Cadillac to return to the F1 grid in 2026
As soon as F1 confirmed in November that it had agreed a deal with General Motors to work towards joining the grid in 2026, Mario Andretti confirmed Cadillac want an American driver like Colton Herta. While Michael left Cadillac’s bid, the 1978 F1 champion is a team director.
Plenty of other drivers have also been linked with joining General Motors’ project, including Mick Schumacher who discussed potentially joining Cadillac mere hours before Formula 1’s official confirmation of the squad’s entry as its 11th team on the grid come the 2026 season.
Schumacher told Speedweek about joining Cadillac: “At this point, everything is an option.”
Schumacher has not driven in Formula 1 since Haas dropped the son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher after the 2022 season. The 25-year-old spent two seasons at Haas, plus two years as a reserve driver at Mercedes over the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
Mick Schumacher feels he has a ‘score to settle’ in Formula 1 after two years at Haas
F1’s current 10 teams have each overlooked Schumacher for a return to the grid when seats have become available since Haas canned the German to sign Nico Hulkenberg for the 2023 term. He did not race in a series in 2023 before joining Alpine in the WEC for 2024 and 2025.
READ MORE: Who is Mick Schumacher? All to know about Michael Schumacher’s son
Part of his problem is that Mika Hakkinen thinks Schumacher ‘damaged’ his reputation in F1 after huge crashes over the 2022 campaign at the Monaco Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Schumacher got all 12 of his career points that year but twice split his car in half.
Still, Hakkinen also thinks Schumacher has the talent to return to F1 – which remains the F2 champion from 2020’s target. He feels the German still has a ‘score to settle’ in the pinnacle of motorsport after 43 starts for Haas, with Schumacher keen to ‘prove himself’ in F1 again.
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