Cadillac Formula One team principal Graeme Lowdon said his team’s links with Red Bull partner Ford “add another layer of interest” to the series.
Cadillac makes its long-awaited F1 debut this year as the 11th expansion team, initially as Ferrari customer equipment while working on their internal power units in the United States. Meanwhile, Ford returns to the series as a partner with Red Bull, who produce their own engines in Milton Keynes with help from Blue Oval.
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The simultaneous arrival of General Motors and Ford in F1 brings a long-standing American rivalry to a new global stage, with Ford having competed with the GM Chevrolet brand for decades in NASCAR.
This has already led to executives on both sides trading barbs, with Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss dismissing Ford’s contribution to Red Bull as “a marketing deal with very minimal impact”, saying that Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Called ‘Patently Absurd’.
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Speaking to Motorsport.com at the recent Autosport Business Exchange in London, Cadillac team boss Lowdon reckoned the long-standing rivalry between GM and Ford would add another layer of interest to the 2026 scenario.
When asked if the exchange between the two American giants was good for the sport, he replied: “There’s been a healthy rivalry between GM and Ford for years and years. They even made a Hollywood movie about it. So it’s real and it’s there.”
Watch: Exclusive interview with Graeme Lowdon at the Autosport Business Exchange in London
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“We’re taking a very different approach. GM owns our team, so it’s quite a different approach, as far as I know, than how Ford approaches it. But we have GM DNA throughout the team because they’re part owners.”
“I’m sure this rivalry will continue. We’ve seen it many times in Formula 1, the fans like to see some rivalry, as long as it doesn’t go too far, obviously. So, I think it’s just another layer of interest in Formula 1.”
Cadillac begins its F1 adventure with the Finn Valtteri Bottas and that of Mexico Sergio Perez as racing drivers, but it is investing in a brand new headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, while also using other GM facilities in Michigan and North Carolina, including the company’s driving simulators in Charlotte.
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Cadillac leans heavily on its American identity, strikes deal to will reveal its final livery for the 2026 race during a halftime commercial for next week’s Super Bowl. “The Super Bowl thing, I think it’s so cool,” Lowdon added.
“We told everyone when we were looking to form a new team that we wanted to bring new fans with us on our journey. There are few things more American than the Super Bowl. It’s such a huge event and it brings together sports, music, culture. And it’s also a way to attract new fans, I think.
“I don’t think any other Formula 1 team has done something like this in the past, so here we’re just bringing something new. And if it attracts new fans to the sport we love, then that’s a good thing. But I think it’s also cool.”
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Read also:
‘It seems like every team had problems’: How Valtteri Bottas’ first Cadillac F1 test went
Classic American rivalry hits F1 as Ford slams Cadillac’s ‘patently absurd’ claims
Valtteri Bottas’s first day at Cadillac before F1 returns
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