The Super Bowl is known to have some fun, cross-over moments.
But this will be the first time Formula 1 has ever entered the Super Bowl sphere, as Cadillac announced its 2026 and debut livery in a fourth-period ad.
But even before the launch is aired, the American team has found themselves in hot water – renowned director Michael Bay has filed a $2.1 million lawsuit claiming the team “stole Bay’s ideas and work for the commercial, without paying for them”.
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Known for the popular Transformers franchise, Bay is suing for breach of contract and fraud, seeking “general and compensatory damages” that are in excess of $2.1m, according to The Athletic.
Director Michael Bay gets ready for his Pirelli Hot Laps ride prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Miami. LAT Images
“Michael Bay is a cinematic genius, and we talked with him about directing our Super Bowl ad,” a spokesperson for Cadillac F1 said in a statement.
“But after two meetings, it became clear he couldn’t meet our timeline, and there ultimately wasn’t a path forward.
“It’s unclear why he’s bringing this claim, since the concept and creative were already developed, and we were only exploring him as a director.
“We’re confident this will be resolved appropriately. Even so, we still admire Michael Bay’s creative brilliance and would welcome the opportunity to work together in the future.”
Revealing the 2026 Cadillac livery—the design now at the center of a $2.1 million legal battle. Twitter
The $2.1 million that Bay is seeking equals the amount that his director’s and producer’s fees would be, for the work and costs incurred by him and his team, and he’s also seeking punitive damages.
It is understood that last November, Bay was approached by the team to create the ad.
After multiple discussions and presenting a mock commercial on December 5, the Hollywood director was called a day later after that meeting and told that Cadillac had moved ahead to use someone else for the commercial, which had a proposed budget of $4.2 million.
The ad shows a futuristic desert landscape where the new Cadillac livery is ‘built together’ by fictionalised team members with a voiceover from President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We choose to go to the moon” speech.
Cadillac’s Super Bowl reveal featured a futuristic, desert-set aesthetic. Twitter
Bay proposed examples of what could be included in the commercial, including editing styles using “specific shimmering visuals, planets with suns, and desert landscapes.”
Bay also claims in his lawsuit that Cadillac “wanted a ‘Michael Bay’ commercial, in other words, at a bargain-basement price”.
The complaint covers four key areas: breach of verbal contract, breach of implied-in-fact contract, goods and services rendered and fraud.