Cadillac will be a part of the F1 grid from 2026 onwards with its parent company General Motors backing them with a hands-on approach. The venture aims to be a complete works operation, building on the foundational work that Andretti had done over the past year and a half. Otmar Szafnauer, however, fears that Cadillac and GM could underestimate the task of building a competitive team in F1.
Szafnauer recently spoke about the American outfit’s chances of getting blindsided by F1’s challenges, something he faced during his early days as a team principal in the series.
“The only concern I would have if I were a General Motors executive is underestimating the task of being competitive in Formula 1,” the former Aston Martin boss said on the Business of Winning podcast.
“It seems that people or organizations who haven’t been involved don’t realize how difficult it is. I didn’t realize how difficult it was either.”
Back in 1998-99, Szafnauer was with British American Racing (BAR), a team that was quite optimistic about making it big in F1. The Romanian-American, who was the Operations Director, also bought into the hype.
He felt that they would win their debut race in 1999. But let alone winning, BAR could not even score a single point in that time. It was only when they switched to Honda engines from 2000 onwards that they started troubling the scorers.
❓ Why has GM/Cadillac been given the green light?
❓ What drivers might it sign?
❓ Where has the Andretti name gone?The Race #F1 Podcast provides you with everything you need to know about the 11th team joining the 2026 grid. pic.twitter.com/donpFZBFM8
— The Race (@wearetherace) November 26, 2024
Cadillac will enter F1 as Ferrari’s customer team, giving them time to establish themselves and develop their own engines. While this is a smart move, given Ferrari’s extensive experience with F1 power units, GM will also be working on their program in the background, aiming to have their own engines operational by 2028.
Ideally, that is the timeline for Cadillac to start becoming a threat to the top echelon of teams. In the meantime, they would also want to capitalize on their American identity and try to improve their brand image as well as contribute to F1’s growth.
Cadillac’s American dream in F1
Since 2016, Haas has been the sole American team in the sport. Besides being at the back end of the grid with fleeting hopes of midfield contention, the Kannapolis-based outfit hasn’t brought that American flavor to F1.
For example, despite rumors, they never hired American drivers. In contrast, GM and Cadillac are eager to bring U.S.-based drivers on board, with Colton Herta being at the top of the list of prospective drivers for their project.
Herta had previously been in contention for an F1 seat but lacked enough super-license points at the time, causing his chances to fade. However, with close ties to Andretti, Herta could be the driver to bring American motorsports heritage into F1.
Other talents, like Jak Crawford and Max Esterson, could also rise through the ranks, as they’ve shown promise in the junior formulas. However, given the struggles of Florida native Logan Sargeant in F1 with Williams, there may be skepticism about these young drivers as well.
Nevertheless, Cadillac will likely want an American driver to boost their team’s image in their home country. If not a U.S.-based driver, IndyCar stars like Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward could also be strong contenders.
