Having had its bid officially accepted, ahead of its 2026 debut, TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss insists that Cadillac is aware of the task it faces.
For a while it looked like it was never going to happen, such was the resolve of F1 and the majority of the teams. But then Michael Andretti stepped away from the table and suddenly everything changed, and the sport was up to eleven teams.
Despite the vast resources GM is putting into the project, some remain somewhat sceptical of Cadillac F1, after all some of the people the team has already signed up are hardly ‘top drawer’.
However, Towriss, who succeeded where Andretti failed, is adamant that Cadillac is aware of the task at hand and is fully prepared to give the sport its best shot.
“It was very difficult to get over the line,” he tells Towriss tells SiriusXM. “But I think from where we stand today, our project, our effort, the Cadillac Formula 1 team is better off having gone through that.
“Formula 1, it shouldn’t be easy,” he adds. “This is the pinnacle of motorsports. And believe me, they didn’t make it easy. There were times, yeah, it was frustrating. It was like a moving goalpost. You would do the work, you got to a place, and then it was like, ‘and here’s another thing you need to do’. But we did it. We did it in spades. We got in.
“But I will say, now that we’re in, we’ve been very welcomed by Formula 1,” he admits. “The support from the FIA, the welcome from the other teams has been fabulous. So, as we like to say, our work continues at pace, and we’re getting ready for 2026.”
It is no coincidence that an American team enters the sport at a time the sport has finally taken off in the US, and Towriss is convinced the Cadillac team can build on that.
“I think this is the time where it’s really going to showcase American innovation, American ingenuity in the car, with GM’s involvement,” he says. “When you think of what’s happening in Detroit, what’s going to be built there, and Indianapolis, Charlotte…
“From that standpoint, this is a team fans can really get behind,” he insists. “Every single person I’ve talked to has a Cadillac story in some way. You know, their grandfather, their father, their mother, their car… there’s an attachment to the brand. And so they’re like, ‘I’m a fan of Formula 1, now I’m a fan of Cadillac Formula 1’.
“We don’t want to let those fans down,” he continues, “so every effort is going in to exceed expectations and try to deliver. But make no mistake, Formula 1 is very difficult. We know that. And so we’re going to be bringing all that we have to do the best that we can.”
Over the course of the Miami weekend, the team revealed its logo, and while most found it somewhat underwhelming, Towriss insists that this was just the start.
“It’s incredible to think about,” he says. “I think we’ll be a little busier next year and probably a bit more nerves, but that’s really why we wanted to come out and do the logo launch that we had.
“It was to really kind of set the stage and start to show people what Cadillac Formula 1 is going to be about,” he continues. “I think a lot of people have known Cadillac’s coming, but what does that mean? What is it going to look like? What is it going to feel like?
“A lot of work has gone into that. And so really was that launch, telling the whole world what that’s going to look and feel like. I think some people wanted to see a driver announcement, some people wanted to see a livery announcement, but it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re not going to send everything out on one day!’
“There’s a lot of build-up between now and Melbourne in 2026,” he adds, “and so there’s more to come. Hang on, the livery’s coming, drivers will be coming. Don’t put me on the clock, but a lot of things are going to be happening there.
“But it was great just to kind of show the attitude, look and feel, what you can expect from Cadillac Formula 1, and to see all the GM brass show up, TWG Global brass show up, the fans, influencers, media, it was just a great event. We were super excited.”
