Cadillac’s European push could make sense of its F1 hopes without Andretti

In 2023, Cadillac began a comprehensive push into the European automotive market after years of absence. Since then, the General Motors brand has opened dealership storefronts in Switzerland, France, and Germany — and it intends to keep growing.

This has coincided with Cadillac’s expanding involvement in motorsport. The brand announced its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023, and it announced its intentions to build power units for Andretti Global’s prospective Formula 1 program. But how exactly does Cadillac’s European push collide with its F1 hopes?

Cadillac returns to Europe, Le Mans — and aims for F1

In 2015, Cadillac announced its intentions to expand its American-based operation into the rest of the world, with ample focus on China, the Middle East, and Russia. As political tensions in those areas of the world grew, the brand pivoted in late 2023: It would be moving to Europe.

Heading to Europe as a brand made sense; Cadillac intended to have a fully sustainable U.S. operation and to offer a fully-electric slate of cars by 2025. With key European cities and countries also making the all-electric promise, why not try to grab a portion of that marketshare?

General Motors kicked off its European expansion by launching a direct-to-consumer Cadillac sales model in Switzerland before then developing a dealership in France.

“When you look at the battery electric vehicle market in France, it is the luxury market that grew to the greatest extent,” Jaclyn McQuaid, GM’s European head, said during the French dealership announcement in early 2025. “The luxury market is where the focus is right now.”

With the all-electric Lyriq and the freshly debuted Optiq comprising Cadillac’s European lineup, the brand had set itself up well.

But developing international operations isn’t cheap. Cadillac has opened dealerships and showrooms in France, Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden, all of which have been intentionally build in high-traffic areas of key city centers.

Cadillac City Paris, the brand’s French hub, is situated in a gorgeous old building located directly across from Palais Garnier opera house.

Cadillac City Zurich is housed on the prestigious Bahnhofstrasse 75, one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world.

The dealerships in Germany and Sweden are similarly well-located — and in each case, Cadillac has partnered with exceptional design firms to develop state-of-the-art facilities.

More on Cadillac racing in Europe:

👉 Why Cadillac’s Le Mans experience proves it’s absolutely ready for F1

👉 24 Hours At The Motorsport Olympics: The inside story of Cadillac’s heartbreaking 2024 Le Mans

Selling cars in Europe is all well and good — but let’s get into more detail about the impact this may have on Cadillac’s prospective Formula 1 program.

As noted, Cadillac’s growth in Europe hasn’t been cheap; after all, the old “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” adage isn’t quite as relevant in the 21st century as it was in the 1970s — but Cadillac as a brand has a very unique opportunity.

The Cadillac name is synonymous with American luxury, but that’s an association the brand is hoping to do away with, instead taking on a more global kind of luxury.

One great way to get viewers interested in your company? Enter it in the biggest races in the world.

While the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a great place for Cadillac to show off its engineering prowess, it’s a race that only happens once per year. Enter Formula 1, and suddenly Cadillac has a 24-race schedule to make the most of, with 24 opportunities to introduce the brand to new markets and new audiences.

Still, these investments come with a whole lot of risk. While General Motors has a long history of being involved in motorsport, it also has a long history of chopping down its racing investments after a managerial change of hands brings with it new priorities and changes to the budget.

Cadillac’s F1 push made sense when it came in tandem with Andretti Global; while Cadillac would develop the technology for the power unit, Andretti would still be footing a significant portion of the bill.

A personal dislike of Michael Andretti, however, seemed to prevent the team from gaining access to the hallowed ground of Formula 1. Now that Andretti has stepped back and Group1001 CEO Dan Towriss has taken on a more active managerial role, we could expect to see a change.

Towriss’ Group1001 is an impressively successful business with an estimated $39 billion in assets. The funding brought by Towriss has enabled Andretti to do everything from improve its IndyCar program to build a state-of-the-art racing facility in Indiana.

Access to that kind of money will be essential for Cadillac to establish itself in the Formula 1 world, and it helps contextualize Michael Andretti’s shocking departure from his organizational responsibilities. If Michael Andretti couldn’t bring Cadillac to F1, then Cadillac will find a different way to make it happen — ideally alongside someone who can help their motorsport investment make financial sense.

Right now, the future of Andretti and Cadillac’s foray into Formula 1 exists firmly in the realm of rumor and speculation, as all parties have remained mum about their intentions. But Formula 1 makes sense for Cadillac’s European growth, and Dan Towriss makes sense to help them get there.

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