GM could enter the sport as a power unit manufacturer as early as 2027.
General Motors executive director of motorsport Eric Warren has revealed that the conglomerate is interested in building the power units for Andretti-Cadillac's F1 team. More importantly, GM is more than capable of doing it.
The exec spoke with Motorsport.com about how deep Cadillac's technical involvement with Andretti would run, and he was quick to make it clear that “the interaction between Cadillac and Andretti will be throughout the vehicle” – it would not be a cursory marketing exercise.
“GM is motivated to be involved in the car and design, the whole process,” said Warren. “It's not white-labeling an engine.”
That last comment appears to be aimed at cross-town rival Ford, which inked a branding deal with Red Bull Powertrains earlier this year.
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Ford's involvement may prove to be little more than a marketing partnership, but at least the Blue Oval will be in the sport come 2026. Andretti, on the other hand, continues to face resistance. But if the F1 overlords eventually grant Andretti access, GM will have more to brag about.
“Looking beyond 2026, our view is that we want to get racing and making sure we are competitive and then look in 2026 at what makes the most sense,” said Warren. When asked if GM would be capable of providing a suitable power unit, he replied, “We could, of course. We can't, by rule, because the 2026 power unit manufacturers have been declared, so we would be looking at the earliest in '27.”
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Warren reiterated that constructing power units is something GM is looking at but added that “Andretti has a power unit partner with which we can get racing quickly.” Andretti has a strong relationship with Honda through Wayne Taylor Racing, and GM is collaborating with the Japanese brand on EVs, so it seems a good fit. Renault/Alpine has also been rumored to be Andretti's partner, but its performance in F1 has not been very convincing for many years.
An F1 power unit program is expensive, so the team would will first wait to see how a third-party power unit performs before undertaking the design and manufacture of its own unit. And even then, “whether we [choose] to and what elements [are] yet to be determined,” said Warren.
Perhaps Cadillac will design an entire unit; perhaps Cadillac will help with something like a turbocharger; perhaps Cadillac will be no more than a marketing partner. Either way, if GM and Andretti do make it to F1, you can bet there'll be a special edition of the Cadillac Lyriq to celebrate.
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Keyword: General Motors Might Build Its Own F1 Engine For Andretti-Cadillac