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Challenge for Cadillac: Who would be their power unit supplier in '26?
- Ludo van Denderen
Cadillac Racing - part of General Motors - are set to become the 11th team on the Formula 1 grid. As early as 2026, the US team's first car will compete at a Grand Prix. In the run-up to their F1 debut, however, there is much work to be done, with one choice that has to be made in the shortest possible time: Which engine supplier will GM team up with?
Earlier, General Motors announced they would become an engine supplier in Formula 1. Originally, the idea was to supply power units for Andretti Global's team entering the 2028 season. However, Andretti will not enter Formula 1, and Cadillac Racing probably will do so earlier than planned. It is impossible for GM to have their own engine ready to go as early as 2026, so the period until 2028 has to be bridged with the team becoming the customer of another supplier.
Which OEM will Cadillac end up working with?
The coming weeks should reveal which Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) the Americans will partner with as an interim supplier. Andretti Global - when that team still thought they would get into F1 - assumed they would compete with a PU from Renault until GM stepped in. As we know, Renault will stop manufacturing engines and their F1 team, Alpine, will use Mercedes power units.
So the Renault engine drops out, just as Mercedes does not seem to be an option either. The Germans will supply engines not only to Alpine from 2026, but also to McLaren, Williams and, of course, their factory team. A fifth team is a bit much of a stretch. Ferrari will make the engines for themselves for '26 and beyond, as well as for Haas F1. A third customer team, though, is not obvious.
Honda: The most logical option
Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB will compete with the new Red Bull Powertrains, in partnership with Ford. Moreover, it is hard to imagine a GM F1 car powered by an engine that is from their biggest competitor (Ford). For now, a partnership between Cadillac Racing and Honda - Aston Martin's new engine supplier - seems to the most logical option.
Not only do Honda only have one F1 team to supply, General Motors and the Japanese have also already been working together in the industry for two decades. Moreover, there is a rule in Formula 1 that no team should be left without having a supplier. If an agreement with an OEM cannot be reached in a regular way, then the supplier with the fewest customers are 'forced' to help the team without an engine.
In that case, the new team would probably end up with Honda. Audi also could be an option then. Unlike what was previously suggested, there is not a rule that gives the Germans an exemption from giving power units to the 11th team, the team have denied to GPblog. Audi will not actively look for a customer team, but will fulfil their duty if ordered to do so.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
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