Cadillac unveils stars-and-stripes livery for Miami Grand Prix debut

Cadillac used the Miami Grand Prix to make its clearest American statement yet, unveiling a stars-and-stripes livery for what it called its first home race in Formula 1. The design wove the flag into the team’s black-and-white look, with 50 stars on the front wing to represent each state and “USA” across the rear wing in red, white and blue.

The branding landed at a moment when Cadillac is still trying to prove that symbolism can be matched by substance. Formula 1 and the FIA gave the team final approval on March 7, 2025, opening the door for Cadillac to join the grid in 2026 as the sport’s 11th team. The FIA called it the first wholly new entrant since Haas in 2016, after more than two years of work to expand the field.

For Cadillac, Miami carried more weight than a normal promotional stop. The team had already completed three races in its maiden season, but the weekend in Florida was its first race on U.S. soil in North America, the stage where it wants to be seen as the American team in a championship still shaped by European manufacturers, infrastructure and personnel. The project’s first chassis, the MAC-26, is a nod to Mario Andretti, tying Cadillac’s entry to one of the most recognizable names in U.S. motorsports and to the original Andretti-led push into Formula 1.

Dan Towriss, Cadillac Formula 1 Team’s chief executive, said racing at home was a major milestone and underscored the pride of representing the United States in front of home fans. That pride, though, will be judged against lap times and results. Through three races, Cadillac’s best finishes were Valtteri Bottas in 13th and Sergio Perez in 15th, with the team sitting 10th in the constructors’ standings, ahead of Aston Martin.

Cadillac announced Bottas and Perez as its 2026 drivers on August 26, 2025, calling them a pairing with more than 500 combined Grand Prix starts and over 100 podiums. The veteran lineup gives the team experience, but not yet proof that it can challenge Formula 1’s established order. Colton Herta, meanwhile, remains part of the long-term plan as a test driver, a reminder that Cadillac still has talent to develop if it wants a lasting American footprint rather than a one-weekend spectacle.