US car giant General Motors has had its Formula 1 entry for the 2026 season formally approved.
The new team will be named after GM's luxury Cadillac brand.
The decision to approve GM's bid comes just over two months after the company reached an agreement in principle with F1 to enter the sport in 2026.
F1 had previously rejected a bid from the US-based Andretti team, which was linked to Cadillac. However, the greater commitment from GM in a revised proposal later in the year convinced F1 to admit Cadillac.
A joint statement from F1 and motorsport's governing body, the FIA, said Cadillac's bid had been approved "following the completion of their respective sporting, technical, and commercial assessments."
The entry will be managed by the US organization TWG, marking a revision of the initial bid.
The new team, based in Silverstone, UK, will be a joint effort between GM and TWG, with Dan Towriss, owner of Andretti Global, and TWG's Mark Walter as key investors. Former IndyCar and F1 driver Michael Andretti is no longer involved with the team he founded, though his father, Mario Andretti, the 1978 world champion, will serve in an advisory capacity.
Last year, TWG appointed Briton Graeme Lowdon, a senior figure at the Manor team that raced in F1 from 2010 to 2016, as team principal.
F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: "As we said in November, the commitment by General Motors to bring a Cadillac team to F1 was an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport. I want to thank GM and TWG for their constructive engagement over many months and look forward to welcoming the team on the grid from 2026 for what will be another exciting year for Formula 1."
F1 was swayed by several key factors that differentiated this bid from the initial Andretti proposal. These included a commitment to establishing a full works team in the coming years, an agreement for an engine supply with Ferrari rather than relying on F1's rules to secure a compulsory engine, and GM's commitment to building its own engine in the future.
An investigation by the US Department of Justice into F1's original decision to reject Andretti's entry also played a role. The FIA had approved the Andretti entry before F1's initial rejection.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem described the decision as "a transformative moment."
Towriss said: "For the past years, we have worked hand-in-hand with GM to lay a robust foundation for an extraordinary F1 entry. Now, with 2026 in our sights after today's final approval from the FIA and F1, we're accelerating our efforts—expanding our facilities, refining cutting-edge technologies, and continuing to assemble top-tier talent."
GM was drawn to F1 by the new engine regulations being introduced in 2026, along with updated chassis rules. These changes will increase the proportion of power produced by the hybrid part of the engine to about 50%, up from the current 20%, and mandate the use of fully sustainable fuels.
The new rules have also attracted GM's US rival Ford and Germany's Audi, while persuading Honda to remain involved after initially deciding to leave F1. Ford is partnering with Red Bull, which will produce its own engine starting in 2026, while Audi has purchased the Sauber team and will rebrand it next year. Honda, meanwhile, is switching from Red Bull to become Aston Martin's factory partner next season.
Renault, which owns the Alpine team, has decided that producing its own engine for F1 is no longer cost-effective and has ended its long-running program. Starting next year, Alpine will purchase engines from Mercedes instead.