According to a report, the pressure of the US Department of Justice’s probe into Formula 1 played a key role in getting Cadillac on the 2026 grid.
The sequence of events that led to General Motors’ Cadillac brand being granted a 2026 F1 entry are unique.
Firstly, Michael Andretti sought to get his eponymous brand onto the F1 scene and successfully passed through a tender process set out by the FIA.
However, Andretti hit a stumbling block with rights holder Liberty Media and Formula One Management and couldn’t agree on commercial terms to enter the series.
This prompted the US Department of Justice to investigate (DOJ) F1 on antitrust grounds, which Liberty made clear was an official investigation in August.
Beyond the US DOJ probe, Greg Maffei, who opposed Andretti’s bid, announced he’d be stepping down as Liberty Media CEO at the end of 2024.
Moreover, Michael stepped away from control of his eponymous enterprise in September, allowing Dan Towriss to take control.
Towriss rebranded the F1 effort, made stronger ties with General Motors and Cadillac F1 was born.
Political tensions at play in Cadillac F1 bid
Now, according to reporter Joe Saward, the US DOJ had a strong hand to play against F1 which is the reason why everything regarding this bid went from zero to 100 in double-quick time.
F1 looked set to remain a 10-team sport for the foreseeable future before the Cadillac rumours broke during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend and were confirmed the Monday after.
In his Business of Motorsport Newsletter, Saward detailed the DOJ’s potential “smoking gun,” writing: “F1 tittle-tattle suggested that the DOJ must have found some kind of smoking gun evidence involving a WhatsApp group consisting of F1 and five teams: Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren and Red Bull Racing, and that collusion forced a settlement that is not advantageous to the existing teams.”
Moreover, it is widely known that when the US DOJ comes knocking at your door it is best to come to an agreement and save space as quickly, cleanly and quietly as possible.
There are further political factors at play linking the Cadilac F1 bid to the transition of power set to occur with the US Presidency.
Donald Trump will be inaugurated for his second term in the Oval Office in January and he isn’t an admirer of the incumbent President Joe Biden’s strict wielding of the US DOJ.
Liberty Chairman John Malone, a Trump supporter had not only the F1 antitrust investigation to deal with, but another involving Liberty’s Live Nation entity.
Towriss’ involvement in taking over the Andretti enterprise is important here too as he is CEO of TWG Global’s motorsport business.
In the official announcement that Cadillac is joining F1, there was no mention of the Andretti name, but “General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global.”
Mark Walter, owner of TWG Global, is a Democrat.
In Saward’s report, he surmises that political tensions and the threat of a US DOJ probe being completed before the transition of power at the Oval Office brought Malone to appease the situation in granting Cadillac its 2026 F1 entry.
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