General Motors Launches Formula 1 Team for 2026

Formula 1 welcomes a new team for 2026. General Motors will join the Formula 1 grid as an 11th team. The idea of adding an 11th team was met with mixed feedback from the teams already in the worlds premier racing series. However, those opinions don’t matter any longer.

The following is from General Motors…

As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.”

“We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Global’s motorsports businesses. “Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world. We appreciate FIA and FOM’s support of our application and their recognition of the value we can bring to the championship.’’

Mario Andretti, the last American F1 Champion, will serve as a director on the team’s board. 

“My first love was Formula 1 and now – 70 years later – the F1 paddock is still my happy place. I’m absolutely thrilled with Cadillac, Formula 1, Mark Walter, and Dan Towriss,” said Andretti. “To still be involved at this stage of my life — I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

Since GM’s bid to join F1 was announced in January 2023, Cadillac Formula 1 has assembled an experienced team to work on aerodynamics, chassis and component development, software, and vehicle dynamics simulation. The team has operations in Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; Warren, Michigan; and Silverstone, England.

GM has decades of racing success and a rich history of developing high-performance powertrains with over 3,000 wins and more than 100 driver and manufacturer motorsports championships.

In addition to the Cadillac F1 partnership with GM, TWG Global owns and operates Andretti Global, Wayne Taylor Racing, and Spire Motorsports.

Max Verstappen secured his 4th consecutive Formula One World Championship after finished P5 in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. George Russell won the race from pole position but the battle for the championship was behind between Lando Norris and Verstappen. Norris had one goal and that was to finish ahead of Verstappen to keep his championship hopes alive. However, Verstappen left nothing to chance after utilizing a superior tire management strategy that allowed the Red Bull to take advantage of valuable seconds gained by having fresher tires in the latter stages of the race.

Verstappen finished the race 5th place and received the emotional news over the team radio that he had been crowned a 4 time Formula 1 Champion. After the race Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner said, “Max has been in a league of his own this year. With eight Grand Prix wins—more than double anyone else—his consistency, teamwork, and sheer determination have been extraordinary. He’s handled the pressure with the poise of a true champion.”

Max Verstappen Added His Comments

Verstappen said “It feels incredible to win here today and I am so proud to win the Championship. It has been quite a year and I’m proud of how we handled everything as a Team. We started off the season really strong and then it became quite tough; we never wanted to give up and got the best result we could, barely made any mistakes and that is what you need to win a title. We stuck together as a Team and we pushed back really hard and came back stronger.

I’m super proud of everyone of what we achieved and also of myself with how we have worked together this season. Today I stayed calm and overtook drivers one by one. I tried to hang in there and do my own race and we pulled it off. Ultimately every Championship win is different, so that also makes it really special and it really means a lot to us. I am very proud to be part of this Team, especially as we are now celebrating our fourth World Title. It’s simply lovely.”

Verstappen has dominated the Formula 1 world by now winning his 4th consecutive championship in Formula 1.

After losing out in the Sprint race Max Verstappen got the job done on Sunday; winning the Sao Paolo Grand Prix. Verstappen controls his destiny in the championship race. At this point in the season, every race that Verstappen finishes ahead of Lando Norris is another missed opportunity for Norris to gain ground in the drivers championship fight. Despite winning the sprint race on Saturday which gained him a 10 point advantage. Norris ended up losing a net 8 points to Verstappen in the championship standings after the weekend in Brazil. Verstappen pulled away from the pack and built a 19 second lead while also displaying

The constructors championship is McLaren’s to lose. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez didn’t score any points in the grand prix rendering Red Bull’s hopes futile in making a late season charge for the championship. Ferrari was also unable to capitalize on the grid penalty against Oscar Piastri and a poor finish by Norris due to Carlos Sainz’ DNF in the grand prix.

5 Drivers did not complete the race. Which opened the door for the likes of Alpine and RB to both secure double points finishes. Alpine not only secure a double points finish but they put both of their drivers on the podium in P2 and P3. It was a disastrous day for Ferrari and McLaren’s fight for the top of the constructors championship.

Sao Paolo Grand Prix Results

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished sprint qualifying 1-2 in Brazil this afternoon. With the championship fight coming down to the wire and two sprint races left in the season Norris will attempt to dethrone the reigning world champion max Verstappen. There are a total of 120 points up for grabs between now and the final checkered flag at Abu Dahbi later this season. The battle for the top spot is set to heat up.

Verstappen will start P4 for the sprint race after failing to break into the top three during qualifying. To make matters worse Verstappen will once again be the lone Red Bull on the second row as his teammate Sergio Perez finished P13 and will be of no assistance from behind in assist Verstappen to overtake the three cars ahead.

Words from McLaren

Oscar Piastri, Sprint Race Pole Sitter

“I’m really happy to be starting on Pole tomorrow, and a great result for the team to be starting 1-2. It was a tricker session as in SQ3 my first lap didn’t feel amazing, but I knew there were a couple of places I could improve, and I was able to put it all together for the final run.

“I suspect it’s going to be a very different kind of Sprint to last year because of the resurfacing. We’ll have to see what the weather does, but I’m starting from the best seat in the house, so let’s see what we can so.”

Lando Norris, P2

“A good session for us as a team to start the weekend in Brazil. We were struggling to get a feel of the car in practice, so the improvements made in today’s Sprint Qualifying are pleasing. The pace is easily there and to lock out the front row is a great result. We’ll work hard to maintain maximum points tomorrow.”

Elsewhere on the grid, Liam Lawson secured a P8 finish ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda who will start the sprint in P18. Rookie Oliver Bearman also found himself finishing in the top 10

Starting Grid for the Sao Paulo Sprint

Carlos Sainz claimed his fourth Formula 1 win in Mexico this weekend from pole position. After a breif spat where Sainz lost the lead to championship leader Max Verstappen. It was superior race strategy that vaulted Sainz’s Ferrari to the top for the 4th time in his career.

An ecstatic Sainz said, “I’m incredibly happy! I’ve been chasing another win since Australia and getting it here in Mexico makes it even more special, as it almost feels like a second home to me with the incredible support of the Mexican fans! My family is also here this weekend so I can’t ask for more.We knew losing a position at the start could happen but regaining it quickly by diving down the inside into turn 1 was the key to the race. From there it was all about managing tyres and pace, a very smooth operation until the checkered flag!

This second win in a row is a further testament to the work the team has done in recent months, we are getting closer in the Constructors’ Championship and we’ll fight until the end as a team. Congrats to everyone! On to Brazil!”

Is This the End for Sergio Perez?

In what ahs been a painful second half of a season Red Bull find themselves scratching their heads on what has happened to their once dominant driver line up. With every race weekend that passes Red Bull continues to lose ground to McLaren who now lead the constructors championship by 54 points. To make matters worse Ferrari has also now leapfrogged Red Bull leading in second place by 25 points.

Sergio Perez has not performed in equal machinery to Max Verstappen. To make matters worse Perez also came in contact with Liam Lawson’s RB on Sunday which effectively sent Perez to the back of the grid finishing in P17. He said, “It was a very difficult one today, we were recovering well in the race, we had a really good start and although we unfortunately got the time penalty, I think we were making progress and were going to score good points.

Then I had the incident with Liam, he was the first hard tire and we were a lot faster, we targeted the inside, we had the corner and I wasn’t expecting him to be there, I had the position going into turn five, he was off the track, came back on and I wasn’t expecting him to carry on straight. He took the whole side of the car off, he damaged my whole sidepod and my floor. I don’t really get it, it was totally avoidable, he just went for the incident and it ruined both our races. I am very frustrated at how this weekend went, and I am very sorry for my Team and my people, it was simply the worse GP I have had at home.”

One thing is certain, Red Bull have no time left to sort this issue out if they want to defend their constructors title. Max Verstappen still holds a healthy lead in the drivers championship despite Perez’s lack of performance. Next up is the Sao Paolo Grand Prix in Brazil.

Mexico Grand Prix Results

Ferrari brought themselves back into the F1 title fight this weekend after finishing 1-2 in the USA at Circuit of the Americas for the F1 US grand prix. After championship leader Max Verstappen won the sprint race early in the weekend Lando Norris claimed pole for the grand prix. Norris led until the first round of pits stop but it was a superior strategy and better tire management from Ferrari that saw the Scuderia to victory.

Charles Leclerc Returns to the Top

Race winner Charles Leclerc said, It feels good to bring home a victory at the start of this triple header. The whole team did an amazing job to make this happen and a 1-2 brings us a good amount of points in the fight for the Constructors’ title. It’s an optimistic target, but we will never stop dreaming until it is done.It feels good to bring home a victory at the start of this triple header. The whole team did an amazing job to make this happen and a 1-2 brings us a good amount of points in the fight for the Constructors’ title.

It’s an optimistic target, but we will never stop dreaming until it is done. I had a good start, leveraging the fact that Max (Verstappen) pushed hard into turn 1, and Lando (Norris) defended from him. I lined up my exit and overtook both of them. After that, I knew it would be a matter of taking good care of my tires and just bringing it home. Our pace was really strong from the first lap onwards and I felt that I could pull away from Max quite comfortably. We’ve made a really good step in terms of our race trim, and hopefully, we will keep it up in the next few races. We will do everything to maximize our results and at the end of the year, we will do the math and see where we stand.”

Verstappen Salvages P3, Lawson Scores Points

Max Verstappen finished P3 and more importantly ahead of Land Norris in todays grand prix. Despite the recent success from the McLarens Verstappen left this race weekend with a larger lead than he came in with.

Liam Lawson scored points in his return to F1 outscoring RB team veteran, Yuki Tsunoda. His point scoring finish came after he was issued a 60 place grid penalty for the upgrade allocation breaches that were issued to Ricciardo over the 2024 season. After the race he said, “It was a good race; I didn’t expect that to be honest. We had a great first lap, I just went for every little gap and made up some positions. We made a really good step up with the car yesterday, which we hoped would replicate in the race today and thankfully it did.

The car was really strong and it did exactly what we hoped it would do. The Hard [tire] works well for us, and we had good pace too. When I boxed and we got some clean air we were able to keep extending longer than we’d planned and I think for me, doing yesterday’s sprint, I took notes from what others were doing, which really helped. The whole team have put a lot of effort into preparing me for t his, a lot of extra hours knowing it was my first weekend back in the car so a big thanks to everyone in the team for making this happen. Mexico is a very different track so we’ll see what we can do there next week.”

United States Grand Prix Results

After a disappointing race in the sprint Lando Norris bounced back in qualifying for the grand prix to secure pole. The drivers didn’t have much time between the sprint race and qualifying today which limited what the teams could turn around on the cars before the late afternoon session. He said, “This is one of the tracks where inside you’re like ‘damn this is fast’, and it’s exciting and it just gives you a good feeling. It’s bumpy and it’s fast, especially Sector 1, so it puts a smile on your face and definitely ending quickest puts a bigger smile on your face too. A tough day, a tough weekend for us but we changed quite a bit.

I think we reviewed everything we could and we made the improvements we needed to make. Maybe we weren’t the quickest car out there today. Carlos said he was going to go quicker, Max was going to go quicker so I’m lucky and I’ll take it.”

Of note George Russell will start from the pit lane after a major collision in qualifying ended his session.

US Grand Prix Qualifying Results

Max Verstappen won from pole position in the US grand prix sprint race this afternoon. The win meant Verstappen gained 1 point on a recently surging Lando Norris who has lifted McLaren ahead of Red bull for most of the second half of the 2024 F1 season. However, today it was Verstappen who led from the front and would not look back. Verstappen said, “It was not too bad, feels a bit like old times! I’m very happy with today. I think of course if you look at the whole race Ferrari was also very quick, but I think for us finally we were racing again. Normally in the race we’re always looking back behind us, but now we could just do our own race and we had good pace.”

Despite Verstappen’s documented distaste for the sprint race weekend format its clear he has a knack for winning them. Additionally, Red Bull gained points on McLaren as they chase the orange in the constructors championship race after falling behind in the mid season.

Lando Norris Late Lock Up Costs Him

Lando norris was in a comfortable P2 until Carlos Sainz in his Ferrari took advantage of a late lock up by Norris which saw Sainz through to claim P2 in the sprint. Norris was under constant pressure from a surging Charles Leclerc behind. As the tires started to fall off Norris locked up again but was able to hold off Leclerc on the final lap of the race. Leclerc nearly wrecked both drivers after trying to back a pass and making slight contact with the back of Norris’ McLaren. However, crisis was avoided and both finished the race. No investigation findings were noted for the pass attempt.

Grand Prix qualifying is up next in a few hours time.

US Grand Prix Sprint Race Results

Max Verstappen showed the world that its not over in the F1 championship after qualifying on pole for the US Grand Prix Sprint Race. Red Bull have struggle over the last few races seeing lose after lose to McLaren in the constructors championship race. Likewise Verstappen who once held a near triple digit lead in championships sees himself in recently unfamiliar territory. Red Bull’s dominance the last two seasons versus their performance in 2024 had Formula 1 fans in a state of shock at the season mid way point.

It’s clear that McLaren found something they didn’t have at the beginning of the season but now that Verstappen has secured pole once again can the same possibly said for Red Bull. It’s no doubt that Sergio Perez has not performed up to expectation in 2024 and the constructors championship is now a chase for the Red Bull side. Perez finished P11 behind the McLaren of Lando Norris. The teams goal will be to start to chip away at the championship point lead. With 6 race weekends left including the US Grand Prix. Every point available could decide the balance.

George Russell Has a Good Showing

George Russell finished sprint qualifying in P2 ahead of Charles Leclerc in third. Russel said, “I’m really happy with how today went. It has been a while since we qualified on the front-row so we can be pleased with the progress we have made. The update kit we brought here seems to be working well although it has surprised us a little how competitive we were today. Sprint Qualifying was a tricky session, but I was able to put my lap in SQ3 together. The final sector in particular was strong and that is what enabled us to take P2.
 
Lewis was very quick today, and he was unlucky to be caught out by a yellow flag. We both should have been up there but it’s great that, as a team, we were back in the mix today. It is also clearly very close with several other outfits including Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. Hopefully we can continue this form into the weekend and look forward to fighting at the front.”

US Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results

The following article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff…

From Visa Cash App RB…

Faenza, Italy – Visa Cash App RB can today confirm that Liam Lawson will be driving for the Team for the remainder of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship season, racing alongside Yuki Tsunoda in the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Liam has been a Red Bull reserve driver since 2022, making his Grand Prix debut in Zandvoort last year during Daniel’s recovery period. His impressive five-race drive saw him score points for the Team, finishing ninth in the Singapore GP.

Visa Cash App RB Team Principal, Laurent Mekies said: “Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us. He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the Team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit. Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the Team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition. It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together.” 

Visa Cash App RB

With more than 350 race starts and counting, Red Bull’s Italian Formula 1 team has been one of the sport’s most consistent and important competitors since 2006.Launched as Scuderia Toro Rosso and charged with bringing future champions to the grid, the team was successful in launching the top level careers of a generation of drivers who have gone on to win races and world championships in Formula 1 and beyond. The success continued following the teams’ 2020 rebrand as Scuderia AlphaTauri, with victory at the Italian Grand Prix in its first season. Now reborn with an expanded mission to battle for the sport’s biggest prizes, Visa Cash App RB team is powering into a new era of competition at the pinnacle of motor sport.