Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said the arrival of a General Motors Formula 1 outfit in 2026 will set up a “pretty sexy” rivalry with fellow American marque Ford.
F1 and General Motors revealed on Monday that the American auto giant will enter the series in 2026 under the Cadillac name in what is a reimagining of the Andretti bid.
New Andretti majority owner Dan Towriss has been able to spearhead the project’s revival and it sets up a potentially intriguing match-up.
Red Bull’s fledgling powertrains division will be putting its first power unit into competitive action with partner Ford in 2026, in time for Cadillac’s F1 debut.
Cadillac will have a customer engine deal through the 2027 campaign before bringing its own works engine to the table in 2028.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner said “Nobody has spoken to us about it – but who knows?
“Obviously, for an American team to come in, I think would be a positive.
“We got Haas, but to have a big OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer] come in, we got Ford versus GM could be pretty sexy.”
Red Bull doesn’t want to pay for General Motors F1 entry
It is reported that General Motors will pay a sum over the currently agreed anti-dilution fee for new F1 entries, which currently stands at $200 million.
In the past, F1 teams have demanded closer to $600 million, but Joe Saward reports the figure General Motors will front will be in the region of $450 million.
This is to mitigate losses incurred by the F1 prize fund being split 11 ways instead of 10.
Initially, the existing teams will likely bear a financial burden upon Cadillac’s F1 debut, but it is hoped the significance of an American works entry will elevate the value of the series over time.
Horner spoke regarding protecting his team’s financial interests amid General Motors’ successful F1 bid.
“It’s really nothing to do with the teams,” he explained.
“It’s down to the commercial rights holder and the FIA and with all these things, it comes down to the finances and how it’s going to be funded.
“I think as long as logistically can be accommodated, we’d have absolutely no problem with seeing GM come here, but we’re not paying for it.
“We got no issue, we would welcome them with open arms. But you don’t want to see the prize fund diluted.
“So there will be that question of, whose slice of the cake does it come out of? Probably everybody’s.”
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