Formula 1 confirmed on Monday that it will expand the grid for the 2026 season to welcome an American team in partnership with General Motors, marking the end of a lengthy dispute that involved a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why F1’s commercial rights holder, Liberty Media, initially blocked Michael Andretti’s bid to enter the sport.
Andretti stepped back from leading the team in September, and the new entry will be called Cadillac F1. It will be managed by Dan Towriss and Mark Walter, who now hold the majority ownership of Andretti Global. In its first two seasons, Cadillac F1 will use Ferrari engines before GM develops a Cadillac-branded engine for competition by the 2028 season.
Towriss, the CEO and president of Group 1001, entered motorsports through Andretti’s IndyCar team, where his financial savings platform Gainbridge became a sponsor. He now holds stakes in Spire Motorsports’ NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing’s sports car team. Walter, CEO of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners, is also the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea.
Although Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will assume an ambassadorial role with Cadillac F1, his son Michael will not have an official position with the team as he has reduced his involvement with Andretti Global.
The approval of this expansion had been in the works for weeks but was delayed until after the Las Vegas Grand Prix to avoid overshadowing the event. Max Verstappen’s victory at the race secured his fourth consecutive championship, marking the conclusion of F1’s three-race stint in the U.S.
Expanding the F1 grid is a rare occurrence, with previous attempts falling short. In 2010, four teams were granted entries, but the grid never reached 13 teams, as one never started racing, and the other three teams disappeared by 2017.
Currently, only one American team competes in F1, owned by Gene Haas, but it has struggled to be competitive and does not field American drivers. Michael Andretti’s dream has been to create a true American team with American drivers.
The push to add the Cadillac F1 team has been ongoing for over three years. F1 initially rejected the application despite the FIA’s approval. Existing teams opposed expansion due to concerns about diluted prize money and the significant investments they had already made into the sport.
In 2020, Andretti attempted to buy the Sauber team but was unsuccessful. He then partnered with GM, America’s top-selling car manufacturer, to expand the grid. The FIA and its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, fully supported the GM partnership, with Mohammed Ben Sulayem stating that Andretti’s proposal met all necessary criteria to expand F1’s grid.
“General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM, and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application.”
Despite the FIA’s backing, F1 was initially hesitant about Andretti but was interested in the GM partnership. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with, but GM refused, and F1 agreed to reconsider Andretti’s application once Cadillac had an engine ready for competition.
The debate over grid expansion also saw a significant shift earlier this month with the resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was widely considered a major opponent of the Andretti entry.
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