Cadillac declare crucial F1 stance as potential headache looms

Cadillac has declared that "we will be ready for anything" over a potential major headache over its F1 engine.

Joining the grid in 2026, the team is using a Ferrari power unit, with the intention to then turn into a works squad from the 2029 season, with General Motors producing its own in-house engine. 

When this plan was announced, it was under the assumption that the current engines would continue through F1's new engine rules cycle, currently planned for introduction in either 2030 or, more likely, 2031.

However, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has now indicated his desire for F1 to return to a normally aspirated V8 engine by 2031 at the latest, meaning Cadillac and GM would have to invest in producing a complex power unit for potentially only three seasons before spending heavily once again on developing the new V8 engine. 

If the team elects not to do this, the simplest course of action would be to remain a Ferrari customer through this rules cycle before the V8s are introduced.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon has explained that the team must simply "be ready" for what is decided as the formula going forward.

"I can't really comment for GM," Lowdon told select media, including RacingNews365.

"I guess what I can say is we're probably in a slightly different position to some of the other more established PUMs and teams in that we knew that there would be some regulation uncertainty coming in, because we were in the midst of an awful lot of uncertainty about our entry, in terms of timing, and all that kind of thing.

"So, to a large extent, we've had to be ready to react to anything. All of that said, typically, regulatory stability is one of the things that leads to close racing, and I also think it's not an enormous leap to then say that's the sort of thing that fans would like to see, so I guess in a basic summary, I would say: we have to be ready for whatever's thrown at us.

"This is a competition, and we respect the regulations, and whatever form those regulations take, we have to cater for that."

"That said, I think everybody would always welcome some stability and good visibility of what's going to happen and when, because then you can plan," he added.

"And these are big investments that we're making, we're building a new power unit factory, and all that kind of thing, and it certainly makes the task easier if there's a real clarity on the regulations, but with the caveat that we have to be ready for anything."