General Motors has announced that from 2028 it will be the seventh manufacturer of a Formula One power unit to the new regulations to be introduced in 2026. Currently GM, through Cadillac is supporting Andretti’s bid to become the eleventh team on the Formula One grid. Although this had been approved by the FIA, at the time of writing Andretti’s involvement had yet to be accepted by the commercial rights holder and the existing teams.

 

If Andretti is not accepted there are no real alternatives for GM. The other six engine manufacturers already have ‘factory’ teams while Red Bull’s second team (currently known as Alpha Tuari) is set to be integrated into the same campus as the Red Bull team and its new Ford-supported powertrain division. Haas is nowadays integrated into Ferrari while Williams is expected to be similarly integrated into the Mercedes Formula One effort, which has confirmed McLaren as a power unit customer from 2026 through 2030.

 

The 2026 regulations continue to call for 1.6 V6 turbos with even more engine parameters defined by the rules. The current MGU-H will be removed while the MGU-K will provide up to 50% of the total power output. The fuel is set to be 100% sustainable. A lot of expertise is required to field a competitive engine under these significantly changed conditions, even by 2028.

 

GM has an in house race engine division, which produces its current naturally aspirated 5.5 litre IMSA LMDh V8. That is derived from the production-based DPi engine that ECR Engines produced for it. ECR Engines continues to lead GM’s factory NASCAR effort in conjunction with Hendrick Engines but neither has Formula One experience, nor does the GM Racing and Performance Propulsion Team delivering the current LMDh engine. 

 

However, Ilmor, which designs, develops and manufactures GM’s current 2.2 litre V6 turbo IndyCar engine does have relevant experience. Ilmor has worked behind the scenes with both Renault and Honda on their current Formula One regulation projects.