Cadillac chief called out for ‘patently absurd’ claim as Red Bull accusation causes stir | F1 | Sport

Comments made by Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss have attracted the ire of the Ford Motor Company, with executive chairman Bill Ford describing claims that the American auto manufacturer’s partnership with Red Bull is a marketing gimmick as “patently absurd”.

Ford has been working extremely closely with the Red Bull F1 operation on their Red Bull Powertrains venture as part of a technical partnership, giving the Milton Keynes squad a much-needed boost on their first-ever bespoke, in-house engine.

Cadillac, meanwhile, have been hard at work preparing for its debut F1 season. General Motors’ F1 entry will join the grid as an 11th team in 2026, debuting with a Ferrari power unit before GM’s own engine is deemed ready in 2029.

Already, the two American motor giants are taking swipes at one another. Speaking to The Athletic about comparisons between Ford and Cadillac’s F1 involvement, Towriss made efforts to distance his F1 squad from their auto manufacturing rival.

“It’s not even close,” he said. “One is a marketing deal with very minimal impact, while GM is an equity owner [in Cadillac F1]. They’re deeply embedded from an engineering standpoint, and they were involved from day one. Those two deals couldn’t be more different.”

These suggestions were immediately countered by Ford Racing’s global director, Mark Rushbrook. “People will have their opinions,” he replied. “But if they saw what was going on, if we were able to open the doors and show everything to them, I think they would be convinced very quickly. It’s not simply a marketing program. Of course, there is that element, but we’re in there with our sleeves pulled up.”

Ford’s marketing commitments with Red Bull were on show ahead of the team’s F1 car launch for the 2026 season, which is being held in Detroit alongside sister team Racing Bulls, who will also be running the in-house engines this year.

When quizzed about Towriss’ accusation by The Athletic, executive chairman Bill Ford described the comments as “patently absurd”, adding: “I would say, actually, the reverse is true. They’re running a Ferrari engine. They’re not running a Cadillac engine. I don’t know if they have any GM employees on the race team.”

All in all, this has been a hectic off-season for Cadillac as they gear up for their track debut. They will at least hit the grid in Melbourne with an experienced driver pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, with Zhou Guanyu and Colton Herta providing support as test drivers.