When you live in Indianapolis, motorsport is more than spectacle, it’s civic texture. On Memorial Day weekend, the roar from the Brickyard isn’t just noise. It’s history echoing at 230 miles per hour.
The Indianapolis 500 remains the world’s most prestigious single-day race. Formula 1, on the other hand, is something else entirely. It is the global summit of motorsport, a fusion of aerospace, data science, and relentless innovation. With races on five continents and viewership in the hundreds of millions, F1 is the planet’s proving ground for engineering supremacy.
Now General Motors is taking its place on that stage. Beginning in 2026, Cadillac will join Formula 1 through a partnership with Andretti Global. The team will use Ferrari engines for its first three seasons before introducing GM’s own power unit in 2029. This isn’t just an international branding play. It is an industrial pivot.
And for those of us in America’s racing heartland, it is a signal flare.
Motorsport’s New Double Helix
What makes this move unique isn’t just the Cadillac name. General Motors already supplies engines in IndyCar through Chevrolet. In 2025, Chevy continues as one of only two engine manufacturers for the NTT IndyCar Series, alongside Honda.
That means GM is the only American automaker preparing to power the premier open-wheel series at home and the top global series abroad.
This dual-market presence isn’t accidental. It reflects a kind of hemispheric industrial diplomacy, one rooted in engineering credibility, brand prestige, and technological relevance.
I’ve seen this evolution up close. In 2013, I developed the mobile app for Simona De Silvestro while she was driving for KV Racing. A decade ago, the Cadillac badge was nowhere near the Formula 1 paddock. Today, it is preparing to go wheel to wheel with the world’s elite.
Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday
There’s an old saying in Detroit: Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. That saying holds up. The link between racing success and consumer engagement is measurable.
After Ford’s GT40 beat Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966, Mustang sales surged. Audi’s dominance in Group B rallying turned the Quattro into a staple of premium performance. Mercedes-Benz saw global prestige and record sales, during its recent Formula 1 championship run.
Motorsport creates a halo effect. The average driver won’t buy a Formula 1 car. But they will buy into a brand that wins, innovates, and pushes limits. Racing isn’t about replication. It’s about resonance.
The Return of Domestic Precision
To compete in Formula 1, GM must build one of the most advanced hybrid power units ever designed. That means investing in high-efficiency combustion, regenerative energy systems, and ultra-lightweight materials.
These technologies don’t stop at the racetrack. They feed directly into electric vehicle development, aerospace propulsion, and defense manufacturing. Formula 1 becomes a testbed, not just for GM, but for America’s high-tech industrial base.
It is not just a race to the podium. It is a rehearsal for the next era of American design and engineering.
STEM Is the Real Engine
The STEM implications are as significant as the technical ones. Motorsports programs have always been pipelines for hands-on innovation. Now GM has a chance to make that pipeline broader and more inclusive.
High school students, trade apprentices, and engineering undergrads could all trace a path from classroom to circuit. Technical partnerships with HBCUs. Apprentice opportunities in advanced machining. Career pathways that connect the next generation to an industry not just of cars, but of computing, energy systems, and precision control.
Motorsport is more than speed. It is a platform for workforce development.
Final Lap
The Indy 500 is still the greatest race in the world. Formula 1 remains the world’s most prestigious series. With Chevrolet at home and Cadillac abroad, General Motors is preparing to power both.
Not just as a sponsor, but as an engine.
Disclosure: I began my career as a manufacturing engineer at Allison Transmission, then a division of General Motors. My perspective on GM’s return to international motorsport is informed in part by that early experience in American industrial engineering.