Cadillac – F1’s Newest team

Cadillac is the newest team to join Formula One, making 11 teams and 22 cars on the grid. F1 is a very sophisticated operation these days, an elite franchise with restricted entry. How the most famous name in American luxury autos made it to the startline is an interesting story.

Italian-born and USA-based Mario Andretti debuted in F1 in 1968. He put his Ferrari on pole and won his maiden race. He went on to win the F1 world championship ten years later. Son Michael watched dad, and proceeded to become one of the most successful drivers in American open-wheel racing before partnering Senna for a season in F1. Many years later, wanting to reprise the Andretti glory days, Michael led an effort to introduce a new team into the top tier of motorsport. Following resistance from existing teams, General Motors picked up the project, branding the team Cadillac. Now as a full-blown manufacturer entry, Cadillac was welcomed into the fold. The $450 million ‘anti-dilution fee’ didn’t hurt either.

Cadillac joining is quite a significant undertaking – because almost all of the other teams today have bought a previous operation. Not Ferrari however, they are F1’s oldest team and we will come back to them. 
Cadillac was designing and building a car from scratch. F1 power units are the most complex component to create, so they have taken a Ferrari engine. Cadillac expects to have their own power unit available from 2028. But the entire rest of the car, and remember, there’s over fourteen thousand parts in a car, is of their own making. This is not like supercars where you buy a machine in a showroom, there is no shop for Formula One. The only handbook is the technically dense FIA formula – something that makes grown engineers cry. 
Formula One is really in the heads of the engineers, designers, pit crew, and engineers across hundreds of disciplines. Virtually every part, even down to many of the nuts and bolts are individually made, printed, forged, stamped, laid or woven by the team. 
So really it’s about people. Cadillac hired experience and high-profile hires along with some green team members, there are over four hundred in the Formula One operation with former team boss Graeme Lowdon in the principal seat. The GM commitment was such that they hired more than 200 people before they were even formally admitted into the fold. Since then, it’s been a multi-year project with an unimaginable budget just to get to a rolling chassis. Now the wider team consists of in excess of 400.

There is no race without racing drivers and in a smart move, Cadillac signed two of the most experienced drivers in Valtteri Bottas (ex Mercedes) and Sergio Perez (ex Red Bull). With 500-plus race starts, and 16 wins between them, they are drivers with serious credentials. They have each been second in the world championship, and both are constructors’ world champs, with the two dominant teams of the last 10 years.

Cadillac’s key goal was to make it to the first race in Melbourne in 2026 the season opener. A car rolling out of the garage, along pitlane, and onto the track was a success. They didn’t set audacious targets beyond that. It was measured. It was realistic. That said, Cadillac can’t help getting attention, and chatter increased the run-up to the season-opener. The entourage rolled into town a week early, set up in the Crown Hotel, and built a riverside bar for their kickoff party. On Tuesday before the race weekend I got a glimpse into what F1 means to Cadillac. General Motors President Mark Reuss hosted the event. 
They announced two new cars, the Vistiq and the Optiq. Australian Cadillac Ambassador Tess Alexander, a former Miss World Australia was on hand. Larger than life actor Terry Crews was in the house. The star of the night, undoubtedly, was driver and adopted Australian Valtteri Bottas sporting a white-blond mullet. The cocktail attire was impressive across the board. – yet this wasn’t really about glitz and glam for the outside world; It was a celebration of Cadillac, for Cadillac people. For making the start line.

This is all very well however the real test came on Friday with practice one. The Cadillac hospitality suite in ‘The Laneway’ sits across from the pit exit with a clear view of the starting line. Many of the GM and Cadillac global leadership team plus invited guests from around the world watched apprehensively. 
Within a few minutes of the start of the session, not one, but two pristine Cadillac F1 cars took to the track for the very first time. Sounding good and looking great, both cars proceeded to have a full hour’s worth of testing – collecting valuable data on everything. It was emotional for many in the GM crowd to see their brand new car roll out onto a track it had never been around before. 
It was quite the honour to be among them. Practice one was a success. Practice two went off without a hitch. The cars performed admirably. If Cadillac’s aim was to get to the track, they’d certainly ticked that box. Relief was palpable, they’d done it! Now for the serious parts. Qualifying is always one of the most exciting sessions. And while the cars both took part, they didn’t pass into the latest stages of qualifying, ending up at position 18 and 19 on the grid for the main race – ahead of 3 other cars.

Sunday race day and the full grid lined up. I’ve seen hundreds of televised events and this is the fourth time I’ve been at the track however it was one of the most eventful and exciting races I have seen. After a solid start and a fair portion of the race unfortunately Bottas had to retire his car, however Perez took his Cadillac full race distance, taking 16th place ahead of four cars from experienced teams who failed to finish. Ultimately Mercedes took the top two places and Ferrari third in what was to become a theme in the early season.

All in all, Melbourne F1 is a stunning event. Being part of the Cadillac launch elevated it to truly special, a unique occasion making a lifelong memory. They not only turned up, they did so in style. There is no doubt they will prove a true contender in the pinnacle of motorsport.