While an American featuring in the first Cadillac F1 line-up is the priority, the team has stressed that “grabbing an American and sticking him behind the wheel” will not suffice.
That announcement comes from Cadillac F1 chief Dan Towriss, who has also been confirmed as the boss of TWG Global’s new motorsport division, this significant expansion coming after Cadillac F1 – formed from the backing of parent company General Motors and US group TWG Global – was accepted onto the Formula 1 grid from 2026.
Cadillac F1 wants to field American driver the ‘right way’
As Formula 1 enters its final season with the current regulations, Cadillac are looking ahead to the future F1 2026 ruleset as they ready for their arrival in the sport.
And one of the key topics to address before then is drivers.
To have an American racer as part of that F1 2026 line-up has been a long-stated ambition for the team, and one that remains.
However, Cadillac F1 are not prepared to field an American driver just for the sake of ticking that box.
“I think we would love to see an American driver in Formula 1, but we certainly want to make sure we do it the right way,” Towriss told Sky Sports News.
“I think it’s crucially important that that person is set up for success. It won’t be a process of just grabbing an American and sticking him behind the wheel. We want to do it proper, and so more to come on that.”
That is one side of the garage, but what about the other?
Should an American racer form one-half of the Cadillac F1 line-up, then the team would be looking for experience in their second driver.
On the American driver side, Colton Herta has emerged as the leading candidate to move from IndyCar to Formula 1 with Cadillac, but has limited F1 experience, that being just test sessions with McLaren in 2022, even if he did allegedly impress in that time at the wheel.
Another potential Cadillac F1 target could be Formula 2’s Jak Crawford, a former Red Bull junior who again, is lacking F1 experience.
“Certainly I think an experienced driver is crucial for setting up a new team from that standpoint, so we’re definitely looking at bringing some experience to the driver tandem,” said Towriss.
“There are a number of American drivers who have experience in the lower Formula series. So that’s not Formula 1 but there are drivers that know the tracks and have been in the lower Formula series, grew up there.
“So, we’ll work on that and we’ll see what comes up.”
The initial groundwork for this new team was laid by Andretti Global and its founder Michael Andretti, but after initial rejection from Formula One Management, it was not long after Andretti stepped away from his organisation that the team as Cadillac F1 was accepted.
The Andretti family will continue to be represented through Michael’s father, 1978 World Champion Mario Andretti, who takes a place on the board of directors, and Mario would confirm that Herta is their number one target.
Asked by Motorsport.com if Herta is at the top of their list, Mario confirmed: “I would say so.
“He’s done some F1 testing. Actually, Zak Brown [McLaren Racing CEO] gave him a good test at Portimao in Portugal [in 2022]. You should see the report that we got from Andrea Stella [McLaren team principal]. And Andrea Stella is an individual that says it like it is.”
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Cadillac F1 will initially be powered by the Ferrari engine with General Motors planning to become an F1 power unit manufacturer in its own right down the line.
And the fact that Cadillac F1 will now be part of a dedicated new motorsports arm at TWG, represents a fresh major boost, formed to “bring together a portfolio of leading motorsports organisations to drive competitive excellence, ingenuity, and commercial innovation across the globe, with the aim of challenging at the very top of the sport”.
Andretti Global, active in IndyCar and Formula E, joins Cadillac F1 in this newly-created division, as does NASCAR’s Spire Motorsports and Wayne Taylor Racing, competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
TWG Global’s impressive sporting portfolio also includes stakes in Premier League football club Chelsea, the Los Angeles Lakers in basketball and baseball outfit the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And all of this, Towriss assures, will help to create a Formula 1 team unlike anything we have seen before.
“I think the thing I’m most excited about with Cadillac with General Motors, is the partnership, the collaboration that we have across the teams to really compare and delve into our collective experiences,” said Towriss.
“We really want to bring something new to the Formula 1 world. You shouldn’t expect a cookie cutter Formula 1 team from this new Cadillac F1 team.
“It’s a new team, so there’s going to be a lot to see. I’m sure there’ll even be some carnage along the way, in looking at a new team.
“We’re going to have a lot to offer and we’re going to be thinking about this on the global scale that is Formula 1 and not just focused on the US.”
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