Six classic US mistakes Cadillac should learn from

Formula 1 has seen a handful of American constructors come and go over the years, but none have seen much success aside from the odd win. Cadillac F1 has a chance to change that – if it reads its history books.

We’re taking a look at some of the biggest lessons Cadillac F1 can learn from the mistakes made by the sport’s former American teams: Penske, Parnelli, Eagle, Scarab, and Tec-Mec.

Be prepared to spend big

And be prepared to do it now.

Most American constructors joined F1 in an era of unrestricted spending — but in an era that also welcomed the little guys with open arms. Dan Gurney could join up with some like-minded engineers to put together a Formula 1 car, for example, but that car was likely going to be built on a tight budget. That car, which would be known as the Eagle, could enter a season, but it wouldn’t be fiscally easy.

Now, it’s impossible to be competitive in F1 without shelling out millions of dollars. While Cadillac will have to comply with cost cap regulations, it’ll still be outspending its American predecessors hand over fist — and the best time to do it is now.

In January 2025, all future development of Cadillac’s 2026 car will have to fall under 2026’s cost cap regulations. That means that this is the ideal time to shell out as much of General Motors’ handsome funds as possible and pour that money into development.

Industry-wide connections are critical

Along a similar line of spending big right out of the gate, it’ll be just as important for Cadillac to establish critical connections in the motorsport and automotive industry, including everything from big sponsorships to simply knowing who to ask for a favor. Having a diverse slate of those connections is even more important.

Take Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing, for example. The team had committed to a few years of Formula 1 competition after a successful debut in American open-wheel racing. It loaded up on strong personnel and designers, and it relied on Firestone as its primary source of income.

But in 1975, there came a problem. Firestone pulled out of racing. Parnelli was left with a car, but no money with which to field it, and no tire supplier to actually get it onto the grid. After just 16 races, the team folded.

Cadillac will come with ample funding in and of itself, but it will truly thrive by establishing a multitude of deep connections to keep it thriving.

Plan well into advance

One of the issues that plagued every American Formula 1 exhibition — perhaps with the exception of Haas — is that there was little planning into the future. Most US-entered teams were just trying to see how far they could get into the sport, without much thought to longevity.

That’s one of the downsides of a privateer team; the vision for the future is much narrower than that of a large works company with a big boardroom and plenty of money — a company that can set big but tangible goals.

Cadillac has the resources to begin planning for a future that may still be a decade away. It will need to learn how to use those resources most effectively in order to become a mainstay on the F1 grid.

Get up to speed on the Cadillac F1 project:

? Cadillac F1: Everything you need to know about the new 11th team

? Four reasons why GM’s huge F1 arrival makes so much sense

Go all-in

One critical issue that plagued almost all of Formula 1’s previous American entrants had to do with the fact that these competitors weren’t intending to race a full season, nor did they plan to come prepared with a decent car right out of the gate.

Yes, Cadillac will have to go all-in; modern Formula 1 dictates that every team entering the grid must make a real, genuine effort to contest every race of the season.

But we can take this further. Cadillac will also have to go all-in on sponsorships, driver signings, experienced personnel, and more. It will need access to a state-of-the-art wind tunnel, and it will need a huge amount of staff to make the F1 experiment worthwhile.

Find a home at the cutting edge

Parnelli arrived in F1 with its VPJ4 chassis, Eagle with its T1G, and Penske in the PC1. Parnelli folded before it was forced to change chassis makers, but both Eagle and Penske ended up swapping to a chassis supplier (McLaren and March, respectively) that had far more experience in the Formula 1 world. Sadly, it also meant that there was little room for fresh interpretation of the rulebook when it came to designing those cars.

Cadillac will need to find its footing at the cutting edge of motorsport design. If it wants to be competitive, it will need an advanced understanding of aerodynamics and a keen eye for loopholes in the rulebook that will allow it to exploit even a fraction more speed.

Come with an engine

One thing unites every American entry in Formula 1: No team was a full works team.

Penske and Parnelli arrived with Ford engines. Dan Gurney commissioned Weslake Engineering to build his engines. Only Scarab arrived with its own engine, but Scarab only contested a single Formula 1 race.

When Cadillac is able to provide its own power unit, it will outshine its predecessors and launch itself into a whole new level of credibility. It may take some trial and error for its PUs to come into their own, but Cadillac will make history simply for having brought an engine to F1.

Read next: Five reasons why Cadillac x Ferrari makes so much sense