Which engine and which drivers for Cadillac F1 Team in 2026?

That's it: after months – or rather years – of negotiations, discussions, refusals and discord, there will indeed be an 11th team on the grid in Formula 1 from 2026, with the arrival of General Motors and the Cadillac F1 Team. An arrival that was not without sacrifice in the American clan, since the name Andretti – which was at the origin of the candidacy – was totally erased, or almost, in the official name…

In any case, Cadillac now has a year to prepare for the big jump to Formula 1. A very short time for a new team, especially since General Motors does not plan to use an in-house engine block before 2028. The American team, which will be based in Fishers, Indiana – with a branch in Silverstone, England – must then find an engine supplier in the meantime, but also two drivers to launch the project and compete in the first season of the Cadillac F1 Team.

Engine: which partner before the GM engine?

This is the big question that arises after the acceptance of the arrival of General Motors from 2026: with which engine will Cadillac F1 Team run for its debut in the discipline. The guarantee of producing an in-house engine at the end of the 2020s was one of the main arguments to convince F1 to open its doors to the American group, but obviously, the engine will not be ready for a little while.

It would take at least three years to design a power unit from A to Z: for example, Audi began work at the end of 2022 with an eye on its arrival in 2026. If there was once talk of Renault's 2026 engine intellectual property purchase, stillborn since the announcement of the program's end in Viruses-Châtillon, Bruno Famin categorically dismissed this possibility in our columns at the end of October.. Yet, in the Las Vegas paddock, there were still whispers that a secret agreement had already been concluded between GM and Renault to save time, skills, but also save a lot of development money…

Even in the event of a secret agreement and the takeover of the Renault engine, Cadillac will certainly have to start its Formula 1 adventure as a customer team in 2026… and the options are relatively limited. The Audi and RBPT-Ford options should be eliminated from the outset since they will be two new engine suppliers and they should logically not supply teams other than their own. Mercedes is also not an option since after entering into a partnership with Alpine, the brand with the star will already be complete with three client teams (McLaren, Williams, Alpine) and one from the factory (Mercedes).

Then there are two valid options: Honda and Ferrari. If the Japanese engine manufacturer has signed an exclusivity contract with Aston Martin for the supply of engines from 2026, it could be forced by Formula 1 to offer its power unit to Cadillac. Ferrari is also in the same situation, although the Prancing Horse already supplies Haas until at least 2028. However, the American clan's preference would go to the Italian engine: Mario Andretti confirmed in an interview with NBC this Tuesday that The goal is to get a Ferrari block in 2026 and to operate the GM in-house engine from 2028.

Drivers: Herta on pole… and then?

If the choice of engine manufacturer is limited to two possibilities in 2026, among the drivers, Cadillac will really be spoiled for choice to launch its adventure in Formula 1. However, one of the two available seats already seems to be acquired by one man in particular: Colton Herta. The 24-year-old American – who will be 26 at the start of the 2026 season – was at the center of an incredible saga in the fall of 2022, when Red Bull had tried to place him with Alpha Tauri to replace a Pierre Gasly leaving for Alpine. Unfortunately, the Californian did not have enough points on his Super Licence to make his Formula 1 debut.

Two years after this saga, Colton Herta is very close to obtaining his Super License – he is only missing one point, which can be acquired during a test session – and would logically be at the top of the list of potential candidates for Cadillac. The driver IndyCar has been a protégé of the Andretti clan for many years and even though the Andretti name was almost erased from the records to allow GM to arrive in F1, the 2024 IndyCar runner-up has always been among the favorites if the American organization obtained its entry ticket. Mario Andretti also affirmed that the Californian was "a candidate considered" by Cadillac for 2026, still with NBC.

Another American could also be in this situation: Josef Newgarden, who already has the Super License thanks to his IndyCar titles. At the beginning of the year, Michael Andretti – who is no longer in the project – would have liked to recruit the double Indy500 winner to lead the F1 project. In both cases, it would seem logical that Cadillac would trust an American driver to be part of the project.

The question of the second driver, on the other hand, is much more open with almost infinite possibilities. Will Cadillac choose experience, with a driver who has already driven several seasons in Formula 1, to carry out the project? Or will it recruit a promising young talent in order to build the future? Certain names (and rumors) will most certainly come back in the coming months: will we see a final return of Daniel Ricciardo in the discipline? Is a Valtteri Bottas or a Kevin Magnussen, who will be sidelined in 2025, could make a comeback with the American team thanks to their experience? Could a Felipe Drugovich – who drives for Cadillac in Endurance, let's be clear – will finally get his chance? Will a driver whose contract ends in 2025 be interested in the project, despite the risk of playing at the back of the pack in 2026? In short, Cadillac still has a year to make its choice!

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