RacingCadillac will put its own engine on the Formula 1 grid in 2029, and it is pushing to do it as soon as possible even if that means only two seasons before a possible post-2030 rules reset. Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss confirmed the GM-built power unit is slated for 2029 and said the project is ahead of schedule, speaking to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media.
“So the project is ahead of schedule, actually,” Towriss said, Cadillac F1 CEO, speaking to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media. “As of right now, we’re slated to bring the Cadillac PU online to compete in 2029.” He added that there are developing discussions around future power unit rules, but that the program remains lined up against the current framework.
Towriss made clear the timeline will not wait for perfect conditions. “It’s possible that the regulations could change before 2031. It’s possible that they don’t change before 2031,” he said, Cadillac F1 CEO, in the same media session with PlanetF1.com and other accredited outlets. “I think it’s important that we see a Cadillac power unit on the grid as soon as possible. If there are ways to speed it up, we will. But right now, the focus is still 2029.”
Until that switch, Cadillac stays a Ferrari customer and keeps its engine work firewalled inside GM. Towriss explained how the relationship will work while GM builds its own V6 hybrid. “In terms of IP [intellectual property], yeah, everybody’s got to bring their own IP,” he said, Cadillac F1 CEO, speaking to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media. “We’re developing our own engines and bringing our own work product to the grid in Formula 1. So those are going to be completely separate. We’re going to a customer team of Ferrari, while we’re building our PUs, and that’s going to be GM work.”
The current engine formula runs through the end of 2030, according to reports cited by PlanetF1.com, which means GM’s first Cadillac-branded unit would race in 2029 and 2030 before any post-2030 changes. Towriss acknowledged that limit in the same media session while reaffirming the 2029 target and the drive to accelerate if possible.
Cadillac entered Formula 1 in 2026 as a Ferrari-powered customer team, PlanetF1.com reported. After a generally reliable start, the new outfit sits 10th in the early 2026 Constructors’ standings ahead of Aston Martin, which is also yet to score, according to PlanetF1.com. The plan now is clear: keep learning as a customer, keep the IP walls up, and put a GM-built power unit on the grid in 2029.