World champion in PR, but is the horsepower worthy of the title? From the new season, Cadillac will be competing in Formula 1 and will do everything to ensure that as much as possible is talked about the new team.
When they think of a typical American car, film and series fans in particular will think of a Cadillac. The brand stands for luxury, the former tail fins of these vehicles are an absolute trademark. In the future, this tradition, which is primarily practiced in the USA, wants to have a permanent place in the largest motorsport series in the world. Then it will no longer be about tail fins, but about rear wings.
“I always thought that Formula 1 is something very special and that entries should be limited to the best brands we can have”said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff recently with a view to Cadillac’s debut as the eleventh team in Formula 1 in the coming season, which starts on March 8th in Melbourne (Australia). Wolff knows that this iconic brand will bring even more attention – and therefore money – to the sport.
Super Bowl, Times Square, Netflix
Cadillac is not approaching the new adventure with the reserve of a newcomer, but rather with the big stage. The US racing team is already going full throttle next to the track and wants to let the whole world know that it is now part of Formula 1. At the Super Bowl (on Monday night), Cadillac will reveal the paintwork of its racing car in a commercial. This year, half a minute during commercial breaks costs an average of $8 million.
It is not known how often this spot will be broadcast and for what length, but: Cadillac spares no expense. Ahead of the Super Bowl, a chrome-clad replica of the new Formula 1 car with its first livery will be positioned in Times Square in New York, one of the most visited attractions in the world. The whole thing is called the “Cadillac Countdown Box”. Only those who have the necessary resources and the necessary standing can get such a gig. Cadillac has that in the USA.
“The unveiling at the Super Bowl and Times Square is a starting signal and an invitation for fans to join our journey.”said the managing director of the Cadillac racing team Dan Towriss. This invitation goes much further – but it remains only in superlatives. Because actor Keanu Reaves (including “Matrix”) is filming a documentary about the Formula 1 newcomer, which will be broadcast on “Netflix”.
Bottas and Perez – familiar but recently unsuccessful faces
The fanfare surrounding its entry into the world’s most popular motorsport is huge, and Cadillac is showing that it has mastered the keyboard of PR. But the question will be how good the horsepower will be. They will come from Ferrari engines on a temporary basis until 2028, before the Bolliden engines will come directly from the company. In terms of personnel, the team relies on a lot of experience; Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will be in the cockpit.
Sergio Perez (l.) and Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi
Perez has won eight Grand Prixes in his career, but only finished eighth in the World Championship in the Red Bull in the 2024 season (he had no cockpit in the last one). “I was in the best team, but it was complicated because being Max’s teammate at Red Bull is the worst job in Formula 1”he said recently about his past years alongside Max Verstappen. “Everything was a problem. If I was faster than Max, that was a problem. It created a very tense atmosphere. If I was too slow and Max was slow, then it was also a problem.”
Cadillac board member Andretti: “You have to think big”
For Perez, Cadillac is a new start, for Bottas it is a new attempt to build on his successful times at Mercedes behind Lewis Hamilton. The Finn is entering his 13th season in Formula 1; last year the 36-year-old failed to score a point in Sauber for the first time in his career. Now the two disappointed people should make positive sporting headlines.
Finnish Formula 1 racing driver Vallteri Bottas in Las Vegas
“You have to think positive. You have to think big. That’s what drives you”said Mario Andretti, board member of the Cadillac racing team. The 85-year-old knows what it’s like to be successful in Formula 1; he became world champion in 1978. The newcomers can put on a big show, they know how to win races – but it remains to be seen whether the theory and great attention will also bring success in the future.
