2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year for American Formula 1 fans. Ford is set to rejoin the sport as a technical partner with Red Bull Powertrains, while General Motors will team up with Cadillac to field an 11th team on the grid. It sets the stage for a new Ford versus Chevrolet rivalry, one that has the NASCAR community intrigued as well.
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Ford will look to develop the next generation of hybrid power units for both Oracle Red Bull Racing and its sister team, Visa Cash App RB. The move marks Ford’s return to the grid after a two-decade absence, turning the clock back to a time when the manufacturer last competed in F1. General Motors, which owns Chevrolet, will initially run Ferrari power units, but plans to build its own engine package and enter as a full works team by 2029. But the road to that goal has already grown spiky, as tension between the two American giants spilled into public view, turning the field into a playground for corporate one-upmanship.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been watching with a grin, enjoying the return of manufacturer feuds that once added spice to North American motorsports. While the two traded pointed comments, Dale Jr. didn’t sit on his hands as the punches flew.
Seeing the crossfire brought out his inner fan, prompting him to fire back online with, “Damn let’s go. I miss these manufacturer wars. The battle is back on! I love it. Kick their ass @TeamChevy,” giving a yes to the fact he spent his entire NASCAR career behind the wheel of Chevrolet machinery.
With Dale Earnhardt Inc., he piloted the No. 8 Chevrolet, and after moving to Hendrick Motorsports, the veteran took command of the No. 88.
Damn let’s go. I miss these manufacturer wars. The battle is back on! I love it. Kick their ass @TeamChevy
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) January 14, 2026
Dan Towriss, CEO of the Cadillac F1 Team, framed GM’s entrance as a commitment on a different scale than Ford’s return. He didn’t bother sugarcoating it, remarking, “It’s not even close. One is a marketing deal with very minimal impact, while GM is an equity owner (in the Cadillac team).
“They’re deeply embedded from an engineering standpoint, and they were involved from day one. Those two deals couldn’t be more different.”
Ford executives answered in kind, refusing to let GM have the narrative without a fight. Bill Ford, the company’s executive chairman, dismissed the Cadillac stance as “patently absurd,” before twisting the knife with, “If anything looks like a marketing effort, that does… I would say, actually, the reverse is true. They’re running a Ferrari engine. They’re not running a Cadillac engine. I don’t know if they have any GM employees on the race team.”
Meanwhile, the Ford camp doubled down again when Will Ford, general manager for Ford Performance, reiterated Bill Ford’s position. He argued that nothing could be further from the truth regarding the idea that their partnership with Red Bull was merely a branding exercise.
For now, Dale Jr. seems delighted to witness NASCAR’s fresh formats collide with F1’s escalating on-track and off-track rivalries. The manufacturers are throwing elbows again, and he’s more than ready for the next round.
