Cadillac explain eye-watering budget for maiden F1 livery reveal

Cadillac has opened up on its decision to unveil its livery for its debut F1 season during the Super Bowl next February.

The American F1 squad will join the grid for the first time in 2026 as the grid expands to 11 teams - a figure not seen since the 2016 campaign.

While some teams have already announced traditional launch events for their seasons, Cadillac has taken the next step by confirming it will get involved in the Super Bowl on February 8 - one of the most-watched sporting events in the world.

A 30-second TV advert for the 2025 event earlier this year is believed to have cost roughly $8 million.

It will make Cadillac's livery reveal one of the most expensive in the sport's history - but team principal Graeme Lowdon defended the approach.

“One of the things that we said in support of our entry is that we wanted to authentically do things that attracted new fans into F1,” Lowdon exclusively told RacingNews365.

“This is an example of that. It's really good for F1, it's great for the team. 

“It bridges all of the things to do with culture, wider sport, F1, the American heritage, of what we're doing. 

“Its there to define how the team wants to go about things as well. If it brings new fans in to follow the team, and if it brings new fans in to follow F1, then all the better.

“[We] are already converts, but there are a lot of people who, I hope, would see that and say, 'well, this looks pretty cool'.”

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Cadillac's F1 project began several years ago when former driver Michael Andretti delivered his intention to field a new American team.

After some resistance from other teams and F1 itself, the scheme gained traction when General Motors took over and continued to invest towards a 2026 entry.

With its debut just around the corner, Lowdon highlighted the importance it is placing on ensuring fans can play a role in the journey.

“Launching a livery is a proud moment and here's an opportunity to do it to try and reach as many people as possible,” he said.

“It's a cool thing, we want people to see the car and we want them to get curious about the team. 

“We've often said that we don't want people to just follow what we're doing. We want them to come and join us on this journey of bringing a new team in.

“It just doesn't happen very often at all. We think it's a super cool journey, and the more people who join us on it, the better. 

“Hopefully something like the Super Bowl initiative could play a really key part in that.”