The Formula 1 announced that it will expand the team grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is associated with General Motors.
The approval ends years of disputes that launched a Justice Department investigation of the USA on why Colorado-based Liberty Media, F1’s commercial rights holder, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti.
Andretti in September stepped away from leading his eponymous organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and will be led by Andretti Global’s new majority owners, Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines in its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season.
Walter is the CEO of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the majority owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea.
Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1.
The approval has been in the works for weeks, but was held until after last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix so as not to overshadow Liberty Media’s portfolio showcase event.
“With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the United States, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive American brand like GM/Cadillac to the network and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring value and interest. additions to the sport,” Formula 1 said in a statement.
“We credit the leadership of General Motors and its partners with significant progress in their preparation 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.”
Network expansion in F1 is rare and often unsuccessful. Four teams received entries in 2010 that should have pushed the field to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made the grid and the other three had disappeared by 2017.
There is only one American team on the F1 grid, owned by California businessman Gene Haas, but it is not particularly competitive and has no American drivers. Andretti’s dream is to form a truly American team with American drivers.
