GM says Cadillac F1 project not affected by auto tariff hit

Cadillac is already building up a 350-strong team to get ready for next season. It is expected that this will rise to 1,000 in the future.

A potential $5 billion hit from automotive tariffs and reduced profit expectations will not affect Cadillac’s Formula 1 debut next season, General Motors President Mark Reuss has said.

Cadillac's parent company GM cut its 2025 profit forecast this week due to uncertainty over the wide-reaching tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump.

Speaking at the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Reuss told reporters that General Motors remained fully committed to bringing the 11th team to the F1 grid.

"There’s about $5 billion of impact for us," said Reuss when asked about the tariffs. "But it’s not going to affect this project."

However, Reuss did not give details on the cost of the F1 project, which has been in the works for a long time. Cadillac is already building up a 350-strong team to get ready for next season. It is expected that this will rise to 1,000 in the future.

While there has been wide speculation that former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has already signed for the team, Team Chief Executive Dan Towriss said no drivers had been signed so far.

"The biggest thing is we’re not in a hurry to select a driver," he said. “There’s a lot that goes into selecting your pilot for Formula One. And so we’re taking our time.”

Towriss said the team was "committed to having an American driver" but there was no rush for that to be the case in time for 2026.

"It’s not a gimmick to just grab somebody and drop them in the seat because it’s important to us that they’re successful," he said. "We’ll find the right way and the right time to bring the right driver into Formula One."

General Motors plans to compete with its own power units from 2029 after using Ferrari engines for the initial seasons.

Cadillac unveiled their team logo and branding at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.

Source: Reuters