How Cadillac is riding the US F1 boom to drive fandom

Between Drive to Survive and this summer’s F1: The Movie starring Brad Pitt, there are a lot of new Formula 1 fans around the world. Some of them, particularly fans of the movie, which follows a fictional F1 team, might not yet be loyal to a team in real life.

In that regard, it’s a pretty good time to be joining the grid—and the US-based Cadillac F1 team is doing just that in 2026. Instead of trying to convert diehard fans of an existing team into Cadillac supporters, team CEO Dan Towriss is focused on building the brand among newer fans of the sport by making them feel connected to the action.

“We’re competing against stick-and-ball sports for the attention of fans,” Towriss told Marketing Brew at the Autosport Business Exchange, an industry conference in New York, earlier this month. “How do we make you feel plugged into Formula 1 when 21 races are outside the United States? There are going to be things that we’re going to be doing that are going to draw you into that, and [make] you really feel like you’re part of this team.”

Crystal clear

Most of the teams on the F1 grid have distinct brands and reputations. Ferrari is known for its bright red color and deep Italian heritage. Red Bull is known to be somewhat ruthless, regularly swapping drivers in recent years. McLaren, the Constructors’ Champion for the last two years, has crafted an opposite persona with its controversial “papaya rules” meant to encourage fair racing between its two drivers.

Towriss said he wants Cadillac to be known as the “approachable, optimistic” team in the paddock. The team is also leaning into its American ties, he said, setting up its headquarters and car manufacturing base in Fishers, Indiana, near Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport.

“It’s going to [be] almost like a modern ballpark entertainment district,” Towriss said. “You don’t have to drive 45 minutes out of the city to see what a Formula 1 team is doing. You might live next door to it in a condo. You might drive by it…on your way to the office.”

In the US, F1 fandom is on the rise, especially among women: About three-quarters (74%) of new F1 fans in the past year are women, according to a recent report from F1 and Motorsport Network, the media and tech company that hosts the Autosport Business Exchange. Still, the audience for F1 races in the US is relatively small, Motorsport Network CEO Werner Brell said, leaving an opportunity for new and existing teams alike to connect with fans.

“There is still a lot more that can be done, and should be done, in terms of the storytelling and bringing [F1] closer to the audiences,” Brell told us. “Obviously F1: The Movie was tremendously helpful, but you need something on a consistent basis as well to really educate, create awareness, inspire, be aspirational, and bring people in.”

Great expectations

Demand for F1 sponsorships is also high as ever, and Cadillac started announcing partners before even announcing its drivers. Tommy Hilfiger became the team’s first sponsor in June, and Jim Beam came on board last month. Cadillac is still looking for a naming rights partner, reportedly asking for as much as $70 million per year, but so far, Towriss said general sponsorship interest has “exceeded my expectations.”

The fact that Cadillac is a US-based team has attracted the interest of some American brands, Towriss said, and once the team released its driver roster—F1 veterans Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez—sponsor interest ratcheted up even more. The video announcing Bottas and Pérez, which is narrated by Keanu Reeves “Matrix-style,” has more than 60 million views, Towriss told us.

The fact that Cadillac F1 parent company TWG Global also owns sports properties, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sparks, and Chelsea FC, has been another selling point for marketers, according to Towriss, and creating “connections and crossovers” between those properties is likely in the cards for Cadillac sponsors.

“They see real power in this Cadillac brand,” he said.