F1 Rumor: F1 to welcome 'Cadillac Racing' to grid in 2026

(GMM) Formula 1 is preparing to welcome ‘Cadillac Racing’ to the grid for 2026, possibly without Andretti.

Developments in the long-running Andretti-Cadillac saga have been occurring thick and fast in the past several days, with multiple authoritative sources now reporting that a negotiated outcome is imminent.

With Michael Andretti taking a back seat, General Motors stepping up, and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei stepping down, an eleventh team now looks set to debut for the all-new regulations.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff appeared to hint that with the Andrettis no longer center stage, and GM increasingly involved, the path was cleared.

“I’ve obviously spoken to Mario (Andretti),” he said. “I didn’t speak to his son. I didn’t speak to any other people that are behind that. I don’t know who they are. But I know GM. GM is great.”

Corriere della Sera thinks the “change of direction” in the long-running saga was the increasing intensity of the US government investigations into F1 owner Liberty Media’s allegedly anti-competitive decision to block Andretti.

Part of the rumored deal for the new team to debut in 2026 is that it is called Cadillac rather than Andretti, and that GM produces its own engine by 2028.

Until then, a customer engine arrangement with Honda is rumored to be most likely. Corriere della Sera, however, believes “Ferrari seems best placed to provide” the engine power.

“The first communication from FOM to us and to the fans about this should take place next week,” said Nelson Valkenburg, a journalist for the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport.

“The teams also still have to be officially informed,” he added.

With Michael Andretti no longer at the helm of his organization Andretti Global, new boss Dan Towriss – also owner of the Gainbridge company – is trackside in Las Vegas this weekend.

“The hurdles seem to have all been removed and suddenly there seems to be big movement in this story,” Valkenburg said.

Unlike many other existing F1 teams, American Zak Brown, McLaren CEO, was a quiet supporter of the Andretti-Cadillac project from the beginning.

“I’ve said from day one that GM and Cadillac Racing are fantastic brands,” he said on Friday. “The fans will cheer for more competition, and so will we. And it’s an iconic brand, so let’s see what happens.”

The American news agency AP, and specialist outlets like Auto Motor und Sport (Germany) and La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy) are also reporting that Cadillac Racing is set to debut in F1 in 2026.

“When asked, Formula One Management did not want to comment,” De Telegraaf newspaper reported.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said on Saturday: “There are a lot of rumors at the moment, but nobody has told us anything about it.”

It is unfathomable to think that the Andrettis will not be involved with the team, given what they did to get the F1 entry this far and the fact they were wronged by rumored collusion to block their entry.

It will be interesting to see what the US Government investigation unveils and whether Michael Andretti will eventually be back with the team in a prominent position, or whether he will be awarded a large financial award if there was indeed collusion involved.