- The Cadillac F1 team will be a full works team with its own chassis and power units
- Responsible for Cadillac F1’s power units will be the new GM Performance Power Units
- The Cadillac F1 team is anticipated to start racing in 2026, initially running Ferrari power units
General Motors is taking steps to ensure that the forthcoming Cadillac Formula 1 team evolves into a full works team, capable of building its own chassis and power unit, by the end of the decade.
The automaker and its partner in the F1 endeavor, TWG Motorsports, announced on Thursday the creation of GM Performance Power Units, a new company that will oversee the development and production of power units for the Cadillac F1 team, as well as any other team(s) that choose to use the unit.
Heading the new company will be Russ O’Blenes, who brings 30 years of motorsports experience and is currently GM’s head of Motorsports Propulsion and Performance. Among his notable achievements are the development of powertrains for Cadillac’s hybrid endurance race cars competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, as well as the powertrains for the Corvette C8.R race cars. He also played a pivotal role in the commercialization of GM’s electric crate motors.
“In F1, we’re going to demonstrate GM’s engineering and technology capabilities on a global stage, and Russ is the right choice to lead the Power Unit team that will make it happen,” Mark Reuss, GM’s president, said in a statement.
Russ O’Blenes
GM Performance Power Units will be headquartered near GM’s Charlotte Technical Center in North Carolina, with a dedicated facility scheduled for construction in 2026. The operation of the F1 team itself will be managed by a separate entity, Cadillac Formula Racing, based in the U.K. Serving as team principal is former Former Marussia Sporting Director Graeme Lowdon.
The Cadillac F1 team is expected to begin racing in 2026; however, it will initially use power units sourced from Ferrari. Since GM only applied to become an F1 power unit supplier in 2023, FIA rules stipulate that its power unit cannot be used until the 2028 season at the earliest.
GM will enter F1 just as the sport introduces significantly new rules, particularly in the area of power units. The power unit rules for 2026 maintain the current format of a turbocharged 1.6-liter V-6 engine and hybrid system, but with reduced power from the engine and more reliance on the hybrid system. The V-6 will also have to run on fully sustainable fuel.
Audi is set to join F1 in 2026 with its own team and power unit. The company has already acquired the current Sauber team and plans to rebrand it as Audi in time for the 2026 season. Honda is also returning in 2026 as a power unit supplier to Aston Martin, and Ford is also returning that year, albeit only as a technical partner for Red Bull Racing.