Two American auto manufacturing giants are set to go head-to-head in Formula 1 over the next several years, and Ford is already looking to get its rivalry started with Cadillac.

Ford motorsport head Mark Rushbrook recently teased Cadillac for entering the sport with Ferrari engines, whereas Ford has partnered with Red Bull to provide the team’s future power plants.

Ford chief teases Cadillac over Ferrari partnership

The F1 2026 season is bringing with it a major overhaul of the pinnacle of open-wheel racing, and in almost every way.

First, there are the incoming regulations that will overhaul both the construction of the chassis as well as the power unit. F1 vehicles will be lighter and smaller, while active aerodynamics will come into play as overtaking aids like the Drag Reduction System (DRS) will be eliminated.

Further, power units will increase a boost in energy coming from the electric motor component of its hybrid unit, with an equal distribution of power coming from the internal combustion engine (ICE) and the hybrid unit.

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The transformative regulations have brought with them major interest from automakers around the globe.

While the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Honda will continue crafting power units for F1, they’ll be joined by the likes of Audi, Ford via the Red Bull Power Trains division, and, later in the decade, Cadillac.

Ford’s chief of motorsport, Mark Rushbrook, recently gave an interview with Motorsport aktuell where he shared that the American automaker’s initial goal in joining F1 was to improve its hybrid technology — namely, how to create more efficient batteries and how to most effectively mate them to ICE units.

However, Rushbrook also admitted that, as development continued alongside Red Bull Power Trains, Ford began to take a greater and greater role in both the ICE development as well as in development of the “entire car” as well as “on the operational side.” The outfit found that there was still much to learn about the overall development of high-performance racing equipment.

It also means that, in 2026, F1 will see a far greater participation of major American automakers. Ford will enter to help provide power to Red Bull Racing, but one of the biggest talking points over the last year has been the introduction of Cadillac F1.

The team that initially began as an expression of interest lodged with the FIA by Andretti Autosport transformed into a wholly different operation after an initial rejection by Formula One Management. Original head Michael Andretti stepped aside to hand team leadership to American businessman Dan Towriss, and the outfit took on the Cadillac name.

But there’s one major difference between Ford and Cadillac: Ford is bringing a power unit in 2026, and Cadillac is not.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Rushbrook teased the competition by saying, “Cadillac will be in Formula 1 in 2026 — with Ferrari engines!”

The arrangement allows Cadillac to purchase power units as it works toward crafting its own, which it intends to debut in 2029.

“We’re looking forward to the competition,” Rushbrook added.

“Whether it’s Ferrari cars with Ferrari engines, Cadillac cars with Ferrari engines, or anyone else’s!”

This won’t be the first time Ford and a General Motors subsidiary brand have gone head-to-head in the motorsport space; it’s a rivalry that characterizes racing across the globe.

Australia’s Supercars series, for example, is built on that very foundation: A team is either a Ford team, or a Holden (GM) team; you can’t be both.

In NASCAR, it’s a similar story; Ford and Chevrolet (a GM brand) regularly duel it out on oval circuits around America, alongside Toyota in this modern era. The foundations of the Cup Series are built on those American brands going head-to-head in pursuit of speed.

Further, it’s a rivalry that characterizes the automotive industry in the United States. For folks growing up in major auto producing hubs like Michigan, one’s alliance to a specific automaker can be a lifelong endeavor. There are Ford families, and there are GM families; it’s rare that the two find common ground.

Now, Formula 1 will have its first taste of that iconic battle, one that will only continue hotting up as the years go on.

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