Ford and Cadillac Trade Barbs Over F1 Involvement
It seems that Formula 1 is about to witness something far sharper than mere tire degradation: good old-fashioned Detroit blood and mutual disdain. Although the 2026 season is still more than a month away, Ford and Cadillac (General Motors) have already begun publicly ridiculing one another, each vying to prove who will be the "truer" American representative in the pinnacle of motorsport.
The opening salvo was fired by Dan Towriss, head of the Cadillac F1 project, who arrogantly claimed that their involvement and Ford's are not even comparable. In his view, Ford’s partnership with Red Bull is nothing more than an overblown marketing exercise, suggesting that Ford is simply sticking an expensive sticker on Max Verstappen’s car. Cadillac, by contrast, positions itself as a full-blooded works team building everything from scratch with real ownership, rather than just buying ad space.
The response from the Ford camp was, predictably, scathing. William Clay Ford Jr., Chairman of Ford, admitted he simply burst out laughing upon hearing Towriss’s claims, calling them absurd. He didn’t miss the chance to point out an inconvenient truth: until 2028, the "proudly American" Cadillac will actually be racing with a Ferrari engine. "They're using a Ferrari engine, not a Cadillac engine. I don’t even know if they have a single GM employee on the team," Ford jabbed, noting that Ford’s own collaboration with Red Bull is focused specifically on developing a next-generation power unit.
Ford CEO Jim Farley added fuel to the fire, stating that the rivalry with Cadillac is "laughable" and hardly worth a comment. According to Farley, true rivalries are earned through years of battle on the track, not by waving around corporate strategies and piles of cash. Until Cadillac has completed a single meter on an F1 track, Ford considers Ferrari and Mercedes its real enemies. It appears the Detroit giants have found a new sandbox to throw sand in each other's eyes—and for the fans, it's pure entertainment.
