By James Broughton, March 10, 2025
America now has a major car brand representing it in the European cul-de-sac that is Formula 1. The announcement last week was big news, of course, but having watched F1 for many years, I can tell you that teams either come and go or are liquidated just as quickly as they arrive. Cadillac will remain in the sport only as long as General Motors can justify the annual budget. Make no mistake—Cadillac’s entry into F1 is first and foremost a marketing move. Winning will be near impossible, and even a podium finish will be a long shot. At best, they might scrape together a few points.
When Cadillac joins the grid in 2026 as the 11th team, officially approved by the FIA, it will use customer-spec Ferrari powertrains and likely adopt Ferrari’s suspension components. But F1 has become a closed society, a gated club open only to the chosen few. Every new entrant means the lucrative prize money, which teams earn just for participating, is spread even thinner—a reality the established teams won’t welcome.
Cadillac believes the new 2026 regulations will give them a fighting chance for points and podiums. But competing in Formula 1 is like walking on the surface of Mars—a harsh, unforgiving environment that punishes even the most prepared and experienced teams. It is an ultra-competitive arena where the smallest problems can become insurmountable obstacles.
The Netflix Drive to Survive documentary has propelled F1’s popularity in America to unprecedented levels, and that is precisely why Cadillac is stepping in. For Cadillac, this isn’t about a sudden divine revelation—it’s about visibility, marketing, and brand prestige. F1’s history is littered with teams that arrived with big ambitions only to vanish within a few years. Cadillac, in all likelihood, will follow a similar trajectory.
