General Motors agrees deal to become 11th F1 team from 2026

Formula 1 has agreed a deal in principle with General Motors and its Cadillac brand to enter the series in 2026 as an 11th team.

The deal will see the GM-supported outfit join as a customer team in 2026, while developing its own in-house power units for 2028 and beyond, using the existing Andretti Global project in Silverstone as its backbone.

In a statement on Monday, F1 confirmed that GM/Cadillac and the series have agreed a deal in principle for it to join its ranks in 2026.

“With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport,” said outgoing Liberty Media CEO and president Greg Maffei.

“We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1. We are excited to move forward with the application process for the GM/Cadillac team to enter the Championship in 2026.”

GM’s president Mark Reuss added: “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honour for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world. This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”

GM officials had been in attendance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to discuss a deal with F1 and Liberty Media over an entry as an 11th team as early as 2026.

The American manufacturer had long been working with Andretti Global on a prospective F1 bid, which was accepted by the governing body the FIA but refused entry by F1 itself because the bid wasn’t deemed to add enough value to the series.

There had also been tension between the organisation’s figurehead Michael Andretti and F1 executives over Andretti’s aggressive campaigning to force its way in, which included involving US Congress and the Department of Justice.

But in the wake of Andretti stepping back from his eponymous organisation and ceding control to majority owner Dan Towriss in September, Towriss and GM continued their efforts to present a more compelling bid with a bigger commitment from the American OEM as a…