Despite acknowledging financial losses, F1 team bosses express trust in the sport’s leadership to manage the impact of Cadillac’s 2026 entry.
General Motors’ entry into Formula 1 in 2026, through its Cadillac brand, was confirmed a few days ago, meaning there will be 11 teams on the starting grid for the start of the new regulatory era.
Does the American manufacturer’s commitment raise concerns for the existing teams, who will have to share revenue more evenly starting in 2026? Or do the team principals trust the sport’s governing bodies to ensure the financial health of the teams remains intact?
“It came a bit as a surprise, or at least somewhat unexpectedly,” said Aston Martin F1 team principal Mike Krack about the announcement. “And to be honest, I don’t have much information on this. I think we need to trust F1 and the FIA to figure out how this will play out. I don’t know what payments are being made or will be made. I think that will have to be defined going forward. So, yes, I can’t say much except that, yes, we’ll have to trust F1 to make sure this goes the right way.”
Williams F1 CEO James Vowles, on the other hand, believes that “the fact that a major manufacturer like GM is joining us is a sign of the sport’s quality. It’s a sign of growth, a sign of Formula 1 evolving. I don’t think there’s a set dilution fee. That’s part of the 2026 Concorde Agreement, which hasn’t been ratified yet. What I’ve always said is that existing teams will face financial losses. What we need to do now is grow the sport sufficiently, and we need to be aware of that, so everyone benefits.”
Laurent Mekies, RB F1’s sporting director, shares Vowles’ view: “Echoing what James said, I think overall this is a fantastic sign for the sport. There will only be car manufacturers involved, except for Williams and us. Even Haas is now linked to a car manufacturer. It’s a battle of giants, and it’s another sign that the sport is heading toward a battle of giants. The financial details are still being discussed, and we hope they won’t be too significant in the context of the sport evolving to a higher level.”
James Vowles had never hidden his opinion on the arrival of an 11th team on the grid, believing it could jeopardize the financial health of the ten existing teams. Does he think F1 simply couldn’t refuse the entry of such a manufacturer into the championship?
“I’ve said two things. I think I said this about a year ago. One of them was that we welcome GM with open arms, and that’s still the case. It’s a big brand coming in, an independent entity joining us at this point. What I stand by is that this will have a significant financial impact on the existing teams. But F1 is aware of this, and it’s up to them to present a proper proposal.”
“It was clear that it would be very difficult to say no” to GM.
So how did F1 communicate the news to the teams and justify this entry, especially when the Andretti project, from which this stems, was rejected?
“What they told us is in line with what you saw in the press release,” Mekies continues. “General Motors is coming with its Cadillac brand and the commitment to produce its own power unit. Once you’ve said that, I think it was clear that it would be very difficult to say no.”
Vowles confirms the Frenchman’s comments: “We found out around the same time as you, with the same news. They’re coming with their own power unit towards the end of this regulation. That’s about all we know about it, and it’s not the same proposal as before, given there’s serious commitment and an investment amount behind it. We don’t know more than you.”
Finally, Krack shares the same view: “The big difference is that we have a major manufacturer committing, as Laurent said, so perhaps the conditions have changed a little, and that’s led to the change.”
- Discover More>Pérez’s Struggles Continue as Tsunoda’s 2025 Hopes Grow
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates.
Team Bosses ‘Trust F1’ Despite Financial Impact of Cadillac
Team Bosses ‘Trust F1’ Despite Financial Impact of Cadillac
