COTA boss welcomes opportunities as Cadillac “will be really great” for F1

COTA chief Bobby Epstein says Cadillac joining Formula 1 in 2026 will be “great for us and for the sport”, and thinks the American squad will be more competitive in year one than people think.

Cadillac, run by TWG Motorsports group, is gearing up for its F1 debut in 2026 as an 11th expansion team, starting from scratch with brand-new headquarters in Silverstone and the United States.

The Graeme Lowdon-led squad recently announced Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as its inaugural driver line-up, with aims to become competitive in the long-term and produce in-house power units for 2029 and beyond.

Speaking to select media, Epstein, the co-founder and managing partner of Circuit of the Americas which has hosted the United States Grand Prix since 2012, says the General Motors brand’s arrival in F1 will open up a range of opportunities for US races like Austin.

“I think Cadillac is going to be really great for us and for the sport,” Epstein said when asked by Autosport about the prospect of a new American team. “They were here this past weekend for the World Endurance Championship race. I think they’re going to be very engaged as a brand, which could be great.

“I think about all the possibilities of things we can do together because they’re a manufacturer; from the Hot Lap ride, which could be a Cadillac ride, to a Cadillac garage tour, to having a focus on getting an American driver. That constellation is going to be very good for us.”

While Cadillac is not bringing a US driver into the series from year one, it did sign IndyCar star Colton Herta as its test driver. It means Herta has abandoned his Andretti Global seat to pursue a career in F1, starting in 2026 with an F2 campaign, F1 free practice outings and a private testing programme. 

Herta won his maiden IndyCar race at COTA as a teenager, and Epstein believes homegrown drivers could take F1 interest in the country “to the next level” provided they become successful.

“For the sport’s sake, separate from just COTA and the grand prix at our track, if there were an American champion driver, that would go a lot farther,” he said. “That would take it to the next level.”

Cadillac is under no illusion that its first year in 2026 will be tough as it battles against 10 well established outfits, but Epstein thinks it may spring a surprise and be more competitive than people think, powered by customer Ferrari power units. “I don’t expect them to be the last place team,” he predicted.