- Cadillac recently inked a multi-year deal with Ferrari to use its power units when it joins F1 in 2026.
- GM announced a new powertrain company that will build Cadillac’s F1 engines in order to become a full works team.
- The engine outfit’s boss has spearheaded the development of the IMSA hypercar and Corvette C8.R engines.
Last than two months after GM and TWG Motorsports received approval to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026, the two firms have formed a new powertrain company that will build F1 power units right here in the United States. The new company, dubbed GM Performance Power Units LLC, will be led by Russ O’Blenes and will play an important role in the racing outfit, morphing into a works team.
Initially, Cadillac planned to to source engines from elsewhere for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, as in November GM registered with the FIA as a power unit supplier starting in 2028. However, last month, the team revealed it had signed an engine supply deal with Ferrari for “multiple years,” and this latest announcement doesn’t confirm what year GM’s power units will be ready, other than stating they’ll launch “by the end of the decade.” Thus, Cadillac will continue to use Ferrari engines until then.
Read: Cadillac To Be Powered By Ferrari Engines In F1
O’Blenes has headed up powertrain development for other championship racing teams, several production vehicles, and race cars, including the IMSA Cadillac hypercar and the Corvette C8.R. He has also led the development of the GM Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Michigan, as well as the company’s eCrate initiative.
Cadillac’s racing engines will be built at a dedicated facility near GM’s Charlotte Technical Center. These will be the only F1 power units made in the United States. The existing engine suppliers, namely Ferrari, Mercedes, HondaRBPT, and Renault, build their engines in Italy, the UK, Japan, and France respectively.
“Russ brings vast experience from many championship racing series, and has outstanding technical expertise, including spearheading our hybrid IMSA Cadillac and Corvette C8.R engines that are proven winners,” GM president Mark Reuss said. “In F1, we’re going to demonstrate GM’s engineering and technology capabilities on a global stage, and Russ is the right choice to lead the Power Unit team that will make it happen.”
The Cadillac team was born out of Andretti’s failed bid to gain approval to race in F1. Mario Andretti will hold a directorial role on the team’s board.
