Cadillac F1 Team: America's Bold Return to Formula 1
With just 40 days until the 2026 Australian GP on March 8, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is on track. From Silverstone to Fishers, Indiana, here's everything you need to know about F1's newest and most ambitious American entry.
The Team Behind the Dream
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team is owned by TWG Motorsports, the motorsport vehicle of Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. After 764 days of rigorous FIA approval processes—including an initial rejection and the exit of Michael Andretti—the team finally got the green light on March 7, 2025, with the cast-iron support of General Motors.
Team Principal Graeme Lowdon, a veteran from Virgin Racing/Manor, leads the operation. Key hires include Rob White as COO, Nick Chester as Technical Director, Jon Tomlinson as Head of Aerodynamics, and Pat Symonds as advisor.
Driver Lineup: Experience Meets Ambition
Cadillac has assembled a seasoned driver lineup for their debut season:
- Valtteri Bottas (#77) – 10-time Grand Prix winner, former Mercedes driver
- Sergio Pérez (#11) – 5-time Grand Prix winner, former Red Bull driver
- Zhou Guanyu – Reserve Driver
- Colton Herta – Test Driver, competing in F2 with Hitech in 2026
Two Continents, One Mission
The team operates across six buildings at Silverstone, UK, with around 400 employees—already larger than Haas. They're targeting 600-650 staff by 2026. Wind tunnel testing began in Cologne in late 2024.
But Cadillac emphasizes this will be an American F1 team. An enormous facility is under construction in Fishers, Indiana (near Indianapolis), set to be operational in early-mid 2026. Additional personnel are based in Charlotte, NC and Warren, MI (GM Technical Center).
Key Milestones & Timeline
- January 26, 2026 – Barcelona shakedown begins (5-day private test)
- February 11-13, 2026 – Pre-Season Testing 1 in Bahrain
- February 18-20, 2026 – Pre-Season Testing 2 in Bahrain
- March 6-8, 2026 – Australian Grand Prix debut (Round 1)
- Prototype chassis completed April 2025
- Roll hoop testing passed May 2025
- Crash test passed at Cranfield June 2025
- 10,000+ components already manufactured (80,000 needed total)
- First sea freight to Melbourne shipped December 2025
🔴 BREAKING: Barcelona Shakedown Day 1 (January 26, 2026)
Cadillac hit the track today at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the first day of F1's five-day private shakedown. The closed-door test saw all teams working through early-season challenges ahead of official pre-season testing in Bahrain next month.
Valtteri Bottas on Day 1: "It was cold. Early morning, it's quite hard to get the tyres to work here, as we know, but as the temperature picked up, things got a bit better, but we had some issues throughout the day."
"It's debugging, that's why we're here and it seems like every team had some issues. It's just now really figuring out those and then getting more and more running each day, but it's just great to be here and in the car."
Bottas completed approximately 30+ laps on Day 1, with some being installation runs. The 10-time Grand Prix winner noted significant differences in the 2026 cars:
"It's definitely a big difference to before. The cars, they handle different, you have a bit less load, especially in the high-speed corners. The PU, you have so much more torque out of the corners, but then you have the battery to manage."
"For Ferrari [Cadillac's engine supplier], this is the first proper day of running with their power units, so naturally there is a learning curve. Still lots to learn, lots to improve, but it's quite a challenge for every team and priority list now is get more laps each day."
Bottas's goal: "Make sure we get a reliable package for race one."
Power Unit & Partnerships
Cadillac will run Ferrari customer power units and gearboxes for their first three seasons, with plans to eventually bring production fully in-house as a manufacturer team.
Major partnerships include Tommy Hilfiger (Official Apparel Partner) and Jim Beam (Official Spirits Partner). Actor Keanu Reeves will host and executive produce a docuseries following the team's journey to the grid.
What to Expect in 2026
Team Principal Lowdon is measured about expectations: "You will not see this team over promising. We've all been around the block enough to know that Formula 1 is incredibly difficult." For reference, Haas—the last new F1 team—finished 8th in their debut 2016 season and scored points in their first race.
With unlimited ambition, GM backing, and a clear mission to be America's F1 team, Cadillac represents the most significant new entry in a decade. The race to Melbourne is on.
Sources: Cadillac F1 Team Official Website, Autoweek, TWG Motorsports, Motorsport.com