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Cadillac Will Make Its Own Engines for Racing in Formula 1
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- Cadillac Will Make Its Own Engines for Racing in Formula 1
(Cadillac)
General Motors plans to go racing in Formula 1 in 2026 with its Cadillac luxury brand, something that had been in the works for a while as part of a tie-up with Mario Andretti . What GM sees in F1 is, largely, exposure, as Formula 1 has become more popular than ever globally and in the U.S. especially.
Given GM's limited history in F1 suggested that exposure might be all they are seeking, since even teams with decades of experience in Formula 1 have a hard time being more than also-rans, much less appearing on podiums or contending for championships. But last week GM signalled that it didn't intend to merely show up. It said that it would build its own F1 cars and power units by 2030, intending to become a "full works" team and not rely on others for major components, like it will do with Ferrari for engines at least initially.
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GM named Russ O'Blenes, who is currently director of the GM Motorsports Propulsion and Performance, to lead the effort, which will be based in North Carolina.
"Russ brings vast experience from many championship racing series, and has outstanding technical expertise, including spearheading our hybrid IMSA Cadillac and Corvette C8.R engines that are proven winners," GM President Mark Reuss said in a statement. "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."
GM did not lay out an exact timeline but said it planned to use the Ferrari engines until its own engines are ready. GM has previously announced its Team Principal will be Graeme Lowdon, who has experience racing in F1 with Marussia. And while none of GM's plans for F1 so far give the impression that Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and other big teams have much to worry about, GM seems to know that becoming competitive in F1 is a yearslong process, or even decades.
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