GM starts new company to develop Cadillac F1 engines following Ferrari deal

American Auto Giant General Motors will officially enter Formula 1 as the 11th team from the 2026 season following a deal with FIA and Andretti Global. The team will be the second american team to compete in F1 as a team after Haas F1. They will bring their luxurious Cadillac brand into Formula 1 to please the international audiences against other brands like Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi and Aston Martin. Upon entering the sport there will be new F1 regulations so they chose Ferrari as their engine partners for the initial few seasons.

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GM's new engine division

From the 2028 season, TWG Motorsport and General Motors will bring their factory-made engines to the sport and compete with the other teams. To prepare for their post-Ferrari engine deal they have created a new company named ‘GM Performance Power Units LLC’. The company will be headed by CEO Russ O’Blenes handling the engine development program. He also worked as the Director of the GM Motorsport propulsion and performance team which developed engines for Cadillac’s sportscars.

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GM President Mark Russ said, “In F1, we’re going to demonstrate GM’s engineering and technology capabilities on a global stage, and Russ is the right choice to lead the power unit team that will make it happen.” The North Carolina facility will be operational in 2026. Ferrari deal will be over by the end of the 2027 season and after that, GM will bring their Factory-Made engines into F1. It will be their third year in F1 and they will have the first fully American-made engines in Formula 1.

The deal could be further extended because building an F1 engine takes years of research and experience. So until the GM’s engines show high performance and are perfectly fit for racing they will continue using Ferrari engines. Another US Automaker Ford has made a partnership with Red Bull and they will co-develop F1 engines from the 2026 season following the Austrian team's Honda deal that ends this year.

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