With JFK's speech and "double-sided" paint, the brand officially enters Formula 1 during a Super Bowl commercial and becomes the 11th team in the category
Cadillac chose the stage with the highest audience on world television to make its identity in Formula 1 official. During the Super Bowl LX halftime, held this Sunday (8), the American automaker unveiled the livery of the car with which it will join the grid in 2026 as the 11th team in the category. The launch strategy combined the reach of more than 100 million viewers with a simultaneous action in Times Square, in New York.
The exhibition took place in the fourth quarter of the match, marked by a commercial that interspersed images of the production of the single-seater with the audio of John F. Kennedy’s historic 1962 speech about the space race (“We chose to go to the moon”). While the play was airing, a booth in Manhattan unveiled the physical car to the public, cementing General Motors’ entry into the elite of motorsport.
SEE ALSO:
Aesthetically, the model breaks with traditionalism by presenting a divided paint: one side of the chassis is predominantly black, while the other is white, with the colors merging fluidly on the nose and front fender. The design symbolizes the new phase of the project, now under the leadership of entrepreneur Dan Towriss.
The team’s trajectory until launch was turbulent: initially rejected by Formula 1 in January 2024, the candidacy was only approved by Liberty Media after restructurings that culminated in Michael Andretti’s departure from the operation in the autumn of the same year. Towriss took charge, ensuring the necessary contribution to enable the team’s competitiveness.
The bet on the Super Bowl reflects the exponential growth of the category in the United States, a phenomenon driven by the Netflix series Drive to Survive, which democratized access to the backstage of the sport. “Choosing to unveil our first livery during the Super Bowl is a way to present our identity at the intersection of performance, culture and entertainment,” Towriss said in a statement.
In the sporting aspect, the preparation continues to accelerate. The driver duo, formed by Mexican Sergio Perez and Finnish Valtteri Bottas, has already carried out preliminary tests at the Silverstone and Barcelona circuits. The schedule foresees the resumption of activities this Wednesday in Bahrain, where both will share a day and a half of track for fine adjustments.
The release cycle for the 2026 season is now entering its final stretch, with Aston Martin and McLaren scheduled to unveil their cars on Monday.
