The Cadillac F1 team is finally happening. After almost two years of deliberation, GM is headed to the Formula One World Championship and will begin building its own power units in 2028. That leaves the Cadillac racers without GM-built power units in 2026 and 2027, and the team has plans to harness Ferrari-built engines during those seasons.
F1 legend Mario Andretti is serving as director on the board of the Cadillac F1 team, and he detailed TWG Global’s plans for the motorsports venture in an interview with NBC News. The team has been in discussions with Ferrari, and while nothing’s set in stone quite yet, Andretti says he’s optimistic that it will fall into place. So confident, in fact, that the team isn’t interested in even talking to other engine suppliers like Mercedes in the meantime.
“That’s what we’re talking about,” Andretti said when asked about the potential Ferrari power unit agreement. “That’s not definite yet, but that’s the objective. And that’s the preference.”
He added, “Even my history with Ferrari, and my relationship with Mr. Ferrari – all of it plays, plays tremendously. There’s so many factors here that make a lot of sense. It will be best of all worlds.”
Andretti also revealed that the team plans on launching with an experienced F1 driver behind the wheel of one Cadillac F1 race car, while another will be driven by “young American talent.”
“Formula 1 is really the Olympics of motorsports, because of the international nature of it,” Andretti said. “And so there’s a lot of national pride that goes with it. And we have three races like no other country on the planet has. And to have your own team playing, just like when you have our own performance in the Olympics – the National Anthem will play when you’re the top step of the podium.”
It’s worth noting that Ford is also rejoining F1 in 2026, building power units in partnership with Red Bull Racing.
Comments
A Cadillac powered by Ferrari; won’t be street legal and can’t be bought; never would have imagined.
Ford is not building anything. They are paying to put their name on the engine.
Ford did not build the Cosworth engines either they just paid for them.
I’m aware that in racing other companies often build the engines. I also know that Cosworth has done some work on some road going Ford engines in the past. Just like Lotus had a couple times with GM engines. I was trying to say that too bad it’s just a racecar. Imagine if Cadillac had somehow been able to get a little engineering boost from Ferrari on a production car. Won’t happen but imagine a Cadillac built off the C8 platform w/ a little bit of Ferrari “DNA” under the hood. I simply had very little time at the moment of posting my first comment.
Not only a Cadillac sports car but sedans and coupes as well. Escalade or Sollei powered by ICE Ferrari, nice!
Exactly correct 2M6. It’s basically a sponsorship deal with Ford “consulting” on the powertrain which is nothing more than window dressing. The powertrain is pure Red Bull from design through manufacturing.
SO what makes it a caddy for the first 2 years until the gm engine is built?
First reply gone, don’t care. GMA mods, you people let crazy stupidity on to your sight unchecked, but delete my comment? So I’ll say again: Use your brain.
Get the 5.5L in there
Hopefully GM has the expertise to create an engine that will be efficient and powerful. Alpine couldn’t keep up and are buying Mercedes engines next year.
I’m guessing they’ll use either Ilmor who does the “Chevrolet” Indy car engine for them (among others) or Cosworth who has a ton of direct F1 experience and resources for most of the design and manufacturing work.
Gnitro,
I believe the C8 is fine where it is with the 5.5L in both the Z06 and ZR1.
We at gm have engine engineering skills and experience as good as anyone in the automotive business.
GM has BETTER engineers. Anyone else doing a non-hybrid 1,000+ hp V8 for sub-$1 million in the 2020’s?
I’m surprised by the link between GM and Ferrari. I would’nt have been surprised by a tandem Honda GM. Honda already produce the Red Bull motors and they are dominant. GM works with Honda in many automotive aspects.
An interesting observation LG. It took Honda five years at two different teams to become competitive in F1 but that is not at all unusual in F1.
Oddly, when they finally had a very good powertrain they announced they were dropping out which caused Red Bull to start developing their own engine. Then Honda reversed course and decided to stay in. By then Red Bull was committed to their own engine so Honda needed a new customer which will be Aston Martin under new 2026 engine regs. I’m sure they won’t mind another customer for that engine for a couple of years. And as you say gm and Honda have a long relationship.
So they’ve been spilling their guts about being locked out. Now there in … but have to borrow an engine . Always playing catch-up .
Great job, Mary .
There is nothing to be gained by Cadillac competing in F1 except red ink. What vehicle to they think will sell in volume in the world market link to their F1 car.