Cadillac F1 enters Formula 1 under ATR rules, navigating development limits designed to level competition and regulate aerodynamic testing.
Cadillac F1 will join Formula 1 in 2026 as the 11th team on the starting grid. The team is currently operating from Andretti Global’s facilities to launch its Ferrari-powered project within a year, with its American General Motors engine set to arrive later.
While financial distribution will be impacted and an anti-dilution fund will be created for this purpose, the focus also remained on how technical aspects would be managed, particularly the development handicaps imposed on top-performing teams.
The ATR, which governs aerodynamic testing in factories, grants backmarker teams more wind tunnel and CFD testing. The question was how Cadillac would be treated under these regulations.
This issue appears to have been discussed during an F1 Commission meeting before the agreement in principle for Cadillac’s participation was announced. Cadillac will be treated as an equal to the last-place team in 2024.
Like Sauber, which finished last in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, Cadillac will receive 115% of the baseline allocation provided to the sixth-placed team (100%) in 2024 and for the first six months of 2026.
Until now, the team has been able to conduct its foundational research without restrictions, though this has been theoretical since aerodynamic regulations are not fully detailed, precisely to prevent any advantage.
Some teams raised concerns about the potential advantage the newcomer might gain, but the immense challenge of entering without an established technical base and with an entirely new project naturally limits this.
The remaining advantages for Cadillac will come through Ferrari, which can supply the team—as it does with other clients—with suspensions, brake ducts, and a gearbox in addition to the engine central to their agreement.
For engine development targeting 2028, General Motors will operate on equal footing with the rest of the grid, adhering to the budget cap now also covering engine development.
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Cadillac F1 Joins Grid – Faces Strict ATR Limitations Cadillac F1 Joins Grid – Faces Strict ATR Limitations
