F1 driver axed from grid in 2018 accepts Cadillac F1 request ahead of 2026 entry
Share:
Cadillac have enlisted the services of a forgotten former Formula 1 racer as they prepare for their entry into the sport. General Motors is gearing up for a 2026 debut in F1 through its luxury American car brand. The project had initially been a co-operation between GM and Andretti Global, though the latter's branding and influence have since been removed to appease F1 bosses and facilitate its entry.
It was enough for Formula One Management to remove its opposition to the entry and an agreement in principal has been reached for an 11th team to be formed. Cadillac has taken over Andretti's operations in the US and UK, after a satellite HQ opened in 2024 close to the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire.
It has not yet been decided which drivers will represent the outfit. Mario Andretti, who has remained as a director of the project, has made clear his desire for an American - preferably IndyCar star Colton Herta - to be partnered by a European racer with plenty of F1 experience.
Cadillac have yet to communicate the identities of those racers. But one former F1 star who has already signed up to help with the project is former Caterham and Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson. The Swede made his F1 debut in 2014, signed by minnows Caterham who were struggling financially and collapsed at the end of that season. But Ericsson found a new home at Sauber, where he spent four seasons and scored 18 points, including a spell as team-mate to Charles Leclerc in his rookie season, before he lost his seat to Antonio Giovinazzi.
