If you’re a Formula 1 fan or just a fan or racing in general, Monday was probably a big day for you. Nearly two years after Andretti Global joined forces with Cadillac Racing in a bid to compete in Formula 1, it’s officially happening. Starting in 2026, Cadillac will go up against teams such as Ferrari and McLaren in the most prestigious racing series in the world. There’s no telling how competitive they’ll be in their first season, but unless you count Scarab, this will be the first time an American constructor has ever been part of F1.
As exciting as that is, it’s also yesterday’s news. We’ve got to look to the future, and if the FIA was willing to allow Cadillac in, that’s a sign that there could be room for more automakers to get in on that sweet Formula 1 action. The question is, which one should it be?
There are plenty of options here, but I’m going to go with Lotus. Granted, racing is expensive as hell, and Lotus doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, but why let that put a stop to things? It has a history with F1, and most importantly, Lotus is owned by Geely, which has a lot of money. Geely has so much money, it could easily fund an F1 team.
Additionally, Lotus recently announced it was walking back its plans to go all-electric and will instead focus on building hybrids. Regardless of whether or not that’s the right decision for the company, it does mean combustion engines will stick around for a while, and what better way is there to market hybrid crossovers than taking on the best open-wheel racers in the world? There isn’t one. Is that the best use of Geely’s money? I can’t personally say. It’s not my money. Still, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to see Lotus back in F1.
What about you, though? Which automaker would you love to see join F1 next after Cadillac?