Zak Brown has helped to turn McLaren from an operation which nearly dropped off the Formula 1 grid to champions within seven years.
McLaren became the first team other than Red Bull or Mercedes to win a constructors’ championship since 2009 by beating Ferrari in a tense Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale.
With the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner, competition is stiffer than it has ever been. The teams are separated by no more than one second at some tracks.
It makes life more difficult for teams such as Cadillac to join and be competitive straight away. They’ll be on the grid from 2026 after signing a power unit deal with Ferrari.
Ferrari may already be preparing the next Oliver Bearman for Cadillac with Dino Beganovic having driven some of their older machinery during pre-season.
While they’re up against it starting a new team from scratch, Mario Andretti believes Cadillac has two advantages over their F1 rivals in 2026 including the new ruleset resetting the playing field.
Zak Brown says Formula 1 should only allow 24 cars on the grid
The aforementioned Brown is aware of how difficult it can be to turn a Formula 1 operation into a winning one, after leading McLaren from the back of the field in 2018 to the front in 2024.
F1 teams are already upset with Cadillac’s entry fee and believe that they should be paying more than will be suggested under a new Concorde Agreement.
READ MORE: How Cadillac have a ‘small head start’ over rival teams ahead of joining F1 in 2026
Brown supports the idea of expanding the grid, but has emphasised quality over quantity and expects any new team to be able to compete from day one to add true value to the sport.
“I think we clearly put on a great show with 20 cars. We’re now going to 22. I think what’s important is quality over quantity,” he said.
“I think if teams can enter and they’re not automatically the 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th [fastest] – that doesn’t really add any value. When there were 30 cars, no one cared about cars 24-30 because they were battling it out for 24th to 30th.
“I think if we can have quality teams, with quality drivers that add value to the sport, then a growing grid – but I think 24 needs to be the max. I don’t think having 26 cars adds any incremental value.”
The drivers Cadillac could sign to their Formula 1 operation in 2026
While there is time before the start of the 2026 season, teams move quickly to sign their targets. Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025 was decided before the start of the 2024 campaign after all.
It means the window for Cadillac to sign two drivers to their operation is closing quickly already. There is plenty of simulation running and behind-the-scenes work to be carried out to be truly prepared.
Cadillac could sign Marcus Ericsson who last raced in Formula 1 in 2018, who has proven speed and experience at the highest level.
READ MORE: Colton Herta has already been ‘so impressive’ during test with 189-win F1 team amid Cadillac links
They have also been linked with names such as Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas since they lost race seats too.
While slightly out of their league, Andretti admitted he would give his right arm for Cadillac to sign Max Verstappen from Red Bull, whose current contract expires in 2028.
It’s unknown when their decisions will be made public, but they may be waiting to see what sort of moves other teams make before locking down their two drivers.
