Cadillac the luxury brand of the manufacturer GM, announced earlier this week and on the sidelines of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, that it has registered with the FIA (International Automobile Federation) in order to officially become an engine manufacturer for the stable of F1 Andretti Cadillac.
This alliance should come to fruition during the 2028 season, but the Andretti team intends to join the great F1 circus from 2026 with a first engine manufacturer, still unknown for the moment. Last month, the FIA approved the initial application for the Andretti Cadillac team to compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
“We are delighted that our new Andretti Cadillac F1 single-seater will be powered by a GM powertrain,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “With our deep engineering and racing expertise, we are confident that we will develop a successful powertrain for the series and make Andretti Cadillac a competitive team. We will compete with the best, at the highest levels, with passion and integrity, helping to elevate the sport for racing fans around the world. »
According to the manufacturer, development and testing of the GM prototype is already underway. The design of this F1 powertrain will advance GM’s expertise in areas such as electrification, hybrid technology, sustainable fuels, high-efficiency internal combustion engines, advanced controls and software systems.
For more than a century, racing has provided a proving ground for GM and Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology from race cars to production vehicles. Cadillac’s V-Series performance portfolio, celebrating its 20th anniversarye anniversary, integrates several of the lessons learned in motorsport for the manufacturer. Cadillac recently developed the 5.5-liter double overhead camshaft (DOHC) V8 powertrain used in the 2023 IMSA and WEC seasons.
From the opposition
Everything is not over for the Andretti Cadillac F1 team since several teams currently involved in F1 are opposed to the arrival of an 11e team in the circuit. This is the case of Quebecer and owner of Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll, who recently declared to the media Sky Sports that he was against the candidacy of the American team Andretti Cadillac Racing. He said: “I think that if the operating system (of F1) is not broken, we don’t need to remodel it. I am convinced that it works very well with ten teams and I think it should stay that way. »
Our opinion
Several car manufacturers have decided to make a return or jump to Formula 1 in the coming years. This is the case of Audi which announced that it would become an engine supplier for the Sauber team from 2026. It would be very interesting to see Cadillac join the dance, the presence of an American manufacturer could raise the stakes !
