If you’re a Formula 1 fan, you’ve probably heard the ongoing saga of GM attempting to join the grid, and after months of…well, crap, it’s finally happening in 2026. Cadillac in Formula 1 is great for the sport, but it’s even better for you and I.
I’m going to give you a few reasons why, by the end of the decade, Cadillac can overtake BMW M as the car everyone will want.
Cadillac is walking back on its electric car promise
I’ve no qualms about electric cars – they have their place. But at this point, until the infrastructure is there to support it, we’ve reached peak adaptation.
When a maker such as Hyundai promises to produce nothing but EVs by 2030 (a date many have tried to push), I doubt you’d shed a tear. But what about Porsche? BMW? And Cadillac?
See, GM (and therefore, Caddy) just aren’t selling enough EVs, and are relying on gas-powered cars to meet their monetary goals. Because of that, they’ve walked back their promise to end ICE production by 2030. Perhaps the V-8 in the Blackwing will be saved, or at least survived by a successor that’s almost as special.
Cadillac in Formula 1 furthers that fact because F1 is not (and never will be) an electric car sport. They’ve tried it with Formula E, but nobody cares.
Internal combustion engines are going to keep evolving
Being a sponsor of a gas-powered race car is one thing, but Caddy is going even further by becoming a full works team.
F1 has become increasingly popular in the past five or six years in this country (thanks, Netflix), and as a result, many auto makers are coming back to the grid.
Audi returns in 2026. Porsche tried to get into bed with Red Bull, but in typical Porsche fashion, they wanted more control than RB was willing to give. Ford too – they will be RB’s engine supplier starting in 2026. Honda left, only to return and supply engines for Aston Martin.
Becoming a full works team means the car is designed and built by its own manufacturer. Ferrari is a works unit, Haas (with a Ferrari Power unit) is not. It takes an enormous amount of resources to design an F1 power unit from scratch – it’s incredibly complex and expensive. That’s why not many do it, and why BMW left the sport over a decade ago.
To make this happen, GM will rely on some already established motorsport folks, but they will also rely on some internal people. This sharing of knowledge can only be a good thing for GM’s products.
Imagine a Corvette with F1 inspiration. That’s how the S85 V-10 was born.
Cadillac in Formula 1 should help shed the old man image
In the areas of a car that matter, right now Cadillac is building some of the best in the world. They might not be as nice as a Mercedes or as buttoned up as a BMW, but they provide what we’ve all asked for. Perhaps the only auto maker to do so.
Despite that, no one wants the cars. Cadillac sold less than 10,000 units of the CT4 and CT5 combined through June of 2024. That’s not just the V units, that’s everything. Compare that to BMW’s M3 CS – BMW sold 2,000 of them alone. BMW’s “special, rare” M3 sold nearly as many as all of Cadillac’s Vs combined.
Will being in F1 help that image? It sure as hell can’t hurt. But we can also point to failures like Alfa Romeo, both as a racing team and a brand.
How fun would it be if Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas were the drivers for Cadillac in 2026? I hope the F1 brand’s high-end euro reputation rubs off on Caddy, and they are finally able to break away from the stodginess that plagues them.
