American car manufacturer Cadillac will become the eleventh team on the Formula One grid in 2026 after the sport's owners announced on Monday they had given their backing to the plan.
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Formula 1 said it had reached "an agreement in principle" with General Motors (GM), which owns Cadillac, to support bringing a team into the paddock.
Welcome to Formula 1, @Cadillac! Looking forward to battling on track in 2026. 👊 https://t.co/FAlgInlMqE
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) November 25, 2024
"Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," Formula One said in its statement.
🚨 | BREAKING: Mario Andretti, the 1978 Formula 1 world champion will serve as a director on the Cadillac F1 team’s board.#F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/afIEXp3GXk
— Desi Racing Co (@DesiRacingco) November 25, 2024
"Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the eleventh team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time," Formula One said in a statement.
The cars are expected to be powered by Ferrari before it develops its own engines.
The move comes after Formula 1 rejected the bid which was headed up by Andretti - owned by Michael Andretti, son of 1978 world champion Mario Andretti - earlier this year.
Nearly a fortnight ago, GM announced it had registered with the FIA to become a Formula One engine manufacturer from 2028, offering support to Andretti's bid to join the F1 grid.
The Andretti name has since been dropped from the proposal.