Cadillac’s Formula 1 adventure will officially begin in 2026, when it joins the grid as the eleventh team, effectively starting from scratch. The American brand has big ambitions for the future: it not only aims to expand its structure but also intends to establish itself as a full-fledged constructor, not just a customer team.
For the first three years of the next regulatory cycle, the Prancing Horse team will provide not only the power unit and gearbox but also the rear suspension. This is a deliberate choice, especially considering that the American team is still being formed in terms of personnel and is prioritizing other areas. Moreover, the rear suspension will be built around Ferrari’s own solutions.
This decision also stems from the need to focus technical and human resources on other areas, since the team is still in its formative stage. Additionally, the rear suspension will be designed around Maranello’s specific solutions, optimizing technical integration, making it logical to rely entirely on Ferrari‘s project.
However, Cadillac’s long-term future involves significant evolution. Starting in 2029, the team is expected to debut its own power unit, designed and built in the United States, as recently confirmed by the FIA. The project is already underway at General Motors’ headquarters in Concord, where work has been going on behind the scenes.
As revealed by GM president Mark Reuss, engineers have already fired up the first prototype of the engine destined to power the future single-seater. Naturally, this is not the final version yet, but it marks an important first step in the team’s technological development, laying the foundation for defining the core features of the future engine.
“As for the power unit, development is already well underway. In fact, we fired up our first engine last week [the week before the Miami GP],” Reuss stated during the launch press conference held in Miami. On that occasion, images of the engine on the test bench were also shown.
Although Cadillac has solid experience in other motorsport categories, where it builds combustion engines in-house, this will be its first experience developing an F1 power unit. For now, it’s using test benches already available in Concord, previously used for other GM motorsport projects. However, by 2027, a new dedicated facility will be completed, enabling the team to manage the entire development process independently.
The initial development stage is critical, and strategic choices on which components to prioritize heavily depend on the constructor’s technical background. As demonstrated by Red Bull Powertrains and Honda, each team can follow a personalized development path. The first prototype is just the beginning, but it marks the concrete start of an ambitious project.
During the Miami event, team leadership also discussed recent talks about potential changes to the power units, particularly regarding the balance between electric and thermal components. The topic also emerged during a meeting between engine suppliers in Bahrain, where an early switch to V10 engines was suggested—an idea that was later abandoned. For now, the shared plan is to continue with the current regulatory framework for the upcoming technical cycle.
“There was a formal meeting here, where we all gathered as power unit suppliers. We discussed the situation and concluded that we will follow through with what has already been initiated, both as constructors and as a championship. But we remain very open to considering other options,” said one of the project leaders.
While the long-term future is being shaped, 2026 must still be prepared for. Work has been underway for months: already in 2024, previous managers had begun hiring staff and signing agreements with various suppliers, including one for wind tunnel use.
Meanwhile, the technical regulations have undergone significant changes, especially after the publication of the first draft at the end of 2024, which granted teams more design freedom. For Cadillac, which can fully focus on 2026 unlike other teams working on two projects simultaneously, this is an advantage—though there is still foundational work to be done, and currently Cadillac lacks the means to compare wind tunnel data with on-track performance.
However, as revealed a few weeks ago, Cadillac has already built the first chassis prototypes that will be at the heart of the car, as also confirmed during the Miami conference: “We’re working on the cars. We’ve been in the wind tunnel for a long time. The chassis has arrived, we keep adding people to the team. So many workflows are happening all at once,” team leaders explained.
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