In January 2023, GM partnered with Michael Andretti-led Andretti Global to pursue a Formula One entry under the Cadillac brand. The FIA approved their bid, but the Formula One Group initially vetoed it, citing GM's lack of commitment to building its own F1 engines. Andretti continued preparations, utilizing the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany, which McLaren had recently vacated.
In November 2024, following extended disputes, Andretti Global sponsor TWG Global, led by Mark Walter, took over business operations. Michael Andretti remained as an advisor, and his father, Mario Andretti, joined the board of directors. The team's UK-based arm was rebranded from Andretti Racing to Cadillac, eventually becoming TWG Cadillac Formula 1 Team Ltd. That month, Formula One granted provisional approval for Cadillac's 2026 entry, with final approval coming in March 2025. Cadillac signed the Concorde Agreement and paid an expansion fee of US$450 million. In February 2026, Cadillac announced their first chassis would be called MAC-26, or Mario Andretti Cadillac-26, in honor of Mario Andretti.
On August 26, 2025, Cadillac confirmed Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas as its inaugural driver lineup for 2026. Both drivers brought experience back to the grid after a year away; Pérez had exited Red Bull at the end of 2024, and Bottas had been a Mercedes reserve after Sauber opted not to renew his deal. Colton Herta joined as a test driver and departed IndyCar for FIA Formula 2 in 2026 with Cadillac support. Zhou Guanyu joined as reserve driver in January 2026. Simon Pagenaud, Pietro Fittipaldi, Charlie Eastwood, and Alec Udell also joined as simulator drivers.
Graeme Lowdon, former CEO of Virgin Racing and Marussia, serves as team principal under Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports. Senior hires include former Formula One chief technical officer Pat Symonds, operations officer Rob White, technical director Nick Chester, aerodynamicist Jon Tomlinson, and advisor Naoki Tokunaga. Former Scuderia Ferrari race engineer Xavi Marcos is chief race engineer. By the end of 2025, the team had hired 520 staff.
GM and TWG established GM Performance Power Units LLC (GM PPU) to produce works engines for the Cadillac team. Russ O'Blenes, a longtime GM engine designer, was appointed to lead the engine division. GM PPU plans to produce Formula One power units for the 2029 season. Until then, the team will compete using Ferrari power units and gearboxes, a multi-year agreement announced in December 2024.
GM PPU plans to invest US$65–70 million in constructing a new engine factory for 300–350 employees, expected to open in early 2027. An additional US$75–80 million will be allocated toward launching and scaling operations at the facility. The City of Concord, North Carolina, approved a US$150 million project to construct a 204,045-square-foot facility at 4295 Defender Way, adjacent to the Hendrick Motorsports campus. Preliminary testing and engineering are being conducted at an interim facility at 4540 Fortune Way NW in Concord.
Cadillac operates four facilities: in Fishers, Indiana; Concord, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone, England. The primary chassis manufacturing and R&D campus is a US$200 million investment in Fishers, a suburb of Indianapolis. This 400,000-square-foot facility was repurposed for exclusive Formula One use to comply with FIA regulations prohibiting co-location of multiple racing series. Non-F1 operations, including IndyCar and Formula E, were relocated to a separate 240,000-square-foot facility in Indianapolis. Additional operations take place at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren. The team also rents Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany. The race team and chassis designers operate from the facility in Silverstone, England.
Several GM marques participated in the Indianapolis 500 when it counted towards the FIA World Championship of Drivers from 1950 to 1960. In 1951, Gordon Reid entered a Silnes car with a Chevrolet engine but failed to qualify. In 1952, Johnny Fedricks attempted to qualify a Cadillac-engined Kurtis Kraft car without success. In 1953, Bill Homeier made a similar attempt with another Cadillac-powered Kurtis Kraft car, also failing to make the final grid. These entries marked GM's first brush with top-level international motorsport.
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