THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Most sports are 52 weeks a year now. The saying "there is no off-season" is one that many will recognize. The large sponsorship deals that corporate brands tie in with soccer, the NFL, NBA, and MLB among others demand that eyes are on their chosen association.
For some, this is easy as most sports fit into a calendar that either overlaps with others or fills a gap others have some small downtime. Others, however, have no time off. With a schedule that lasts now from mid-March to the opening weekend of December, the Formula 1 season has a global reach that sees pretty much all corners of the globe visited.
The United States now has three Grands Prix - the suitably named Circuit of the Americas, now joined by Miami and Las Vegas in recent years. This should come as no surprise, as the smell of engine fuel and rubber comes out of the pit lane garages and into our homes with the phenomenal success of the Netflix fly-on-the-wall docu-series Drive to Survive. Given the amount of money involved in this high-risk state-of-the-art technological raceday, it was only a matter of time that a high-end American brand would want part of the action on the grid, not just on our television screens. It was something that had been brewing for a while, to be fair, even before the Netflix cameras rolled. Proving their worth and value was always going to be a difficult task, such is the scrutiny and the strict regulations and laws that the F1 circus binds itself to.
Finally, though, in 2026, an American team will be recognized around the world as the eleventh team on the pit wall - welcome, Cadillac Formula 1 Team.
Now, if Cadillac doesn't bring enough of that all-American flavor of nostalgia, why not throw in some illustrious partners and sponsors? Enter Tommy Hilfiger & Jim Beam. Cadillac even have their own documentary in the works, with Keanu Reeves hosting OK, we know he's Canadian, but don't let a little fact get in the way of a great feeling. This is the American dream, right? Well, yes, if your dream is to compete in one of the world's most expensive sports that doubles up as one of the most glamorous.
Let's strip away the color and pageantry and see what the new Cadillac team is all about. It's led by American car manufacturer General Motors (GM) in collaboration with American motorsports organization TWG Motorsports, through the latter's British subsidiary TWG Cadillac Formula 1 Team Limited.
The initial dream was set up by legendary American driver Michael Andretti and his Andretti Global team. Despite gaining approval in 2023 from the sport's governing body, FIA, the Formula One Group vetoed them until an agreement was made that GM would build its own racing engines. This has now been done and Cadillac Formula 1 is expected to become a power unit manufacturer starting in 2029. For the time being, while the team sets about creating its own power units, they will use Ferrari engines. It is not uncommon for engine suppliers to lend their experience to other teams.
During the hiatus, Andretti would not give up on his dream and kept developing so as not to be caught behind the 8-ball when they got a green light. Eventually, in late 2024, TWG Global became involved as Andretti and the F1 Group could not see eye-to-eye on several issues. So with Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, now involved, leading the business operations, and Andretti taking a back seat as an advisor, a decision was finally made and ratified in March 2025 that the Cadillac team would gain its place on the grid the following year. The signing-on fee is a cool $450 million.
All that was needed now was a Team Principal and some drivers - it's hard to compete without the latter in particular. A decade ago, Graeme Lowdon was Team Principal at Marussia F1, and before that, with the Virgin team. He has six years of experience but will have to get up to speed with life in the fast lane again. "F1 is the greatest team game in the world... you need the best of the best in all positions. We have unlimited ambition," said Lowdon. Glowing words, and you would expect nothing less.
The drivers he has to nurture, if that is the word for two very classy veterans, are the Finn Valtteri Bottas and the Mexican Sergio Pérez, last seen racing in anger for Mercedes and Red Bull respectively. There is no doubt that the two have an abundance of talent with 16 race wins between them, over 500 race starts, and 100 podium finishes. If they get near a podium in their first season, then everything will have fallen into place quite nicely.
"This isn't just a racing project; it's a long-term vision. It's not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground up and helping shape it into something that truly belongs on the F1 grid." Bottas, now 36, said, "I've had the honor of working with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here. This is an iconic brand with a big legacy in American motorsport, and to be a part of the story as it enters the world stage of F1 is incredibly special for me."
"Checo" Perez was just as excited, the 35-year-old saying, "From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project. It's an honor to be part of a building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front. I'm proud to be part of such an ambitious and meaningful project from the very beginning. I'm really pleased to be part of such a dynamic line-up, and together I believe we can help shape this team into a real contender, the team of the Americas. We're counting on support from across the continent - and we want to make everyone proud."
One more item is needed, and that is the car itself. Perez did some testing in November, the regular shakedown period for all the other teams, and tire testing for Pirelli, the first time that Cadillac could show off. Further official testing will follow in February in Bahrain.
The car was in all-black livery, but we can expect something a little different (perhaps) when the car is revealed in an advertisement during this year's Super Bowl on February 8. If you weren't convinced that F1 was high-stakes business, then throw in the cost of paying $8 million for a 30-second advertisement in front of an estimated 190 million worldwide audience.

