Cadillac will select an American driver but only if deserving of a spot in the Formula 1 grid, according to team principal Graeme Lowdon.
Last week, Formula 1 and FIA, world’s motorsport governing body, formally approved General Motors’ bid to entry the sport in 2026.
The US automotive giant will run the team, which will become the 11th team on the grid and the first new entry since Haas made its debut back in 2016, under its Cadillac brand.
Only Aston Martin and McLaren will start the new campaign with an unchanged drivers line-up following one of the busiest off-seasons in recent memory.
Which drivers could Cadillac sign?
Veterans such as Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo are all available after failing to land a spot on the grid for 2025.
The Mexican was replaced at Red Bull by Liam Dawson after a dismal campaign saw him finish eighth in the championship, his worst return since joining the team in 2021.
Bottas, meanwhile, scored a combined 59 points in three seasons with Sauber after leaving Mercedes in 2021, but finished empty handed last term.
Meanwhile, while unproven in Formula 1, the likes of Colton Herta and Jak Crawford would set the pulse of American fans racing.
And Lowdon suggested there was no reason for Cadillac not to pick a US driver.
“I see no reason why an American driver can’t be selected on merit as well,” he told The Athletic on Monday.
“Just because someone’s American doesn’t mean that they can’t be a good Formula 1 driver.”
Colton Herta and Jak Crawford on Cadillac’s radar
Herta’s cause has been championed by Mario Andretti, who is a director on Cadillac’s Formula 1 board.
The 24-year-old has won nine races, claimed 18 podium finishes and 14 poles across 100 starts in IndyCar, racing for Andretti Autosport for the past four seasons.
The American’s name was first linked with Cadillac when a bid for an 11th Formula 1 team was first put forward by Andretti Global, owned by former Andretti’s son, the former IndyCar and ChampCar star Michael, last year.
The proposal, which included General Motors building its own power unit in 2028, was rejected and Andretti has since stepped back from the team.
The new bid will be run by TWG and GM with Dan Towriss, owner of Andretti Global, and TWG’s Mark Walter as the key investors.
Through it all, Herta’s possible switch to Formula 1 has remained a hot topic of debate.
The major spanner in the works of bringing Herta to Cadillac is that the American does not currently have enough points for his FIA Super Licence.
A driver must have at least 40 points to be allowed to race in Formula 1 and Herta is currently nine short.
Crawford, meanwhile, is one of the most promising American drivers plying his trade in Europe. He finished 13th in Formula 3 in 2021 and seventh the following season, before claiming 13th place in the championship on his Formula 2 debut in 2023.
The 19-year-old, who is part of Aston Martin’s Young Driver Development program, finished fifth in the standings last season when he also served as reserve driver for Andretti’s Formula E team.
The timing of Formula 1’s approval leaves Cadillac in a difficult spot in terms of selecting its drivers, as the team is out of step with the rest of the teams.
“We weren’t in the driver market during [the] kind of fairly critical last round,” said Lowdon.
“So certain drivers are tied up for certain periods, but there’s still a lot of extremely good talent around so I don’t really see that necessarily as a limiting factor.”
Why General Motors entered Formula 1
The technological shift in Formula 1, with new engine and chassis regulations coming into effect next year, has drawn General Motors into the sport.
The regulations, which emphasize hybrid power by increasing its contribution to around 50 percent and mandate sustainable fuels, have also been key in bringing Audi to Formula 1 and in reversing Honda’s decision to withdraw.
Ford, meanwhile, will build Red Bull’s engines from 2026, but it will not have its own team.
“For the past years, we have worked hand-in-hand with GM to lay a robust foundation for an extraordinary Formula 1 entry,” Towriss said last week.
“Now, with 2026 in our sights after today’s final approval from the FIA and F1, we’re accelerating our efforts – expanding our facilities, refining cutting-edge technologies and continuing to assemble top-tier talent.”
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali added: “I want to thank GM and TWG for their constructive engagement over many months and look forward to welcoming the team on the grid from 2026 for what will be another exciting year for Formula 1,”
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