Many people don’t know this, butCadillacwas involved in what would become the Formula 1 championship all the way back in 1952 and 1953. On both occasions, the drivers in question entered Cadillac-powered cars, but failed to qualify for the main event. That may seem silly considering the current field, but back then there were more than 40 teams and privateers.
Not that Cadillac is doing much better in 2026. It’s the only team still left with no points on the board, and Valtteri Bottas is currently 22nd out of 22 full-time drivers. It’s worse for Sergio Perez, who is currently in 23rd place. Still, we have to applaud Cadillac for going at it. It’s the first all-new team since Haas entered the sport 10 years ago, and nobody wins the championship the first time out. Unless your name is Brawn GP…
Caddy And F1 Invested Too Heavily In Electricity
Cadillac F1 Team liveryCadillac
So, F1 did the dumbest thing ever and went green with a 50/50 split between ICE and electricity. This split will be changed to 58/42 next year, but it’s still a silly formula, considering they could have used V8s running on synthetic fuel, which would have achieved the same environmentally friendly result, but alas. It seems we’re only going back to V8s in 2030.
Like the automotive industry, F1 bet too much on electricity, and now it’s paying the price. The EV bubble burst, hybrids are selling well, theV8s are coming back, and governments across the globe are looking mighty foolish.
Cadillac has also been caught out. Its best-known and most respected V product is dying at the end of the year, and it has nothing to replace it with. And if you look at the rest of the V range that will live into 2027, there’s not much left. Sure, the ridiculous Escalade-V lives on, but the only thing it has in common with an F1 car is the paddles behind the steering wheel.
The real star of the show these last few years has been the CT5-V Blackwing. It’s the only supercharged V8 manual sedan left on sale. Heck, it’s the only V8 manual left on sale in the USA. Production will stop at the end of the year, and while we know a new gas-powered CT5 is on the way, Caddy hasn’t said anything about a Blackwing. It seems odd to invest billions in an F1 team, and then have nothing that you can use to tie-in with marketing…
Why Can’t Cadillac Use F1 To Market The Electric Vs?
2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing F1 Collector SeriesCadillac
If you want to see what Cadillac’s marketing team is thinking, just look at the average F1 weekend and the only F1-related product it has put out so far. For hot laps before the actual race, Cadillac has been using CT4 and CT5 Blackwings. Every automaker brings its best, and obviously Ferrari and McLaren rock up with the latest and greatest. But there is something deeply satisfying about seeing an old-school muscle car with a supercharged V8 on track. A Ferrari and a McLaren are out of reach for most, but a Caddy with a V8 is doable, even though used Blackwings are selling for more used than when they were new.
And let’s not forget that when Cadillac finally introduced its first F1 special edition, it was a CT5-V Blackwing with even more power. The power was bumped to 668 horses, and the price increased to $260,000, but it didn’t matter because it captured the essence of racing on a Sunday and selling on a Monday.
With Caddy’s famous sedans gone by the end of the year, it will have an F1 car to race on a Sunday and nothing to sell on a Monday. And don’t try to argue that fans will buy an Optiq, Lyriq, Celestiq, or any of the other IQs Cadillac sells, because they just don’t have the same gas-powered ferocity we associate with an F1 car.
The average F1 fan will head to the nearest Caddy dealership and ask for the unruly sedan Checo was powersliding around the circuit before the main event, and not something silent and practical like the Escalade IQ.
Cadillac Has The Chance To Do Something Great
2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing F1 Collector SeriesCadillac
We know a new CT5 is coming, and we know it will use gas. But the Blackwing’s future is a mystery that Cadillac can address at an F1 race in 2027, when we expect more announcements about the upcoming CT5 range. The performance sedan segment has completely given up on the manual transmission, and this can be a unique selling point for Caddy.
It’s now competing in the top-tier of motorsport, and that’s good enough for some. Some people make fun of them for being last, but just being on that grid is enough prestige for some.
I genuinely hope that Cadillac pulls a Ram and brings back all the V8s. And the manuals, because 0 to 60 mph doesn’t matter in this EV world anymore. The next big step forward is driver engagement, because the horsepower wars are done now that you can buy a used 1,000-hp Model S Plaid for $50,000.
What we need is a car worthy of selling on a Monday, after Cadillac has failed to finish the race on a Sunday. (Sorry, Caddy. The joke was right there.)
