It’s not even nine months since Cadillac were officially confirmed as the 11th Formula One team, yet the new outfit will take to the track for the first time in January.
These accelerated timelines should be kept in mind when assessing the car’s performance during Bahrain testing at the end of next month, but the scale of the effort deserves recognition regardless.
Indeed, when BlackBook Motorsport was among a select group of media invited to Cadillac’s Silverstone base in June, new team principal Graeme Lowdon revealed that only around 67 per cent of the team’s staffing was in place.
And while new drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez will hope Lowdon’s prediction that “any new team coming in is going to be last” does not materialise, Cadillac’s sponsorship activity has so far reflected that realistic prospect. Only Tommy Hilfiger and Jim Beam have signed on as partners at the time of writing, highlighting the strong US identity Cadillac are leaning into.
The Miami Grand Prix’s Tyler Epp was hired as Cadillac’s new global head of commercial strategy in September and, since then, he has moved quickly to appoint Lauren Teixeira as chief commercial officer and Willem Dinger as chief partnerships officer.
In the week that their appointments were announced, BlackBook Motorsport sat down with Teixeira and Dinger at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to find out how they plan to market and attract more sponsors to Formula One’s newest team.
A title sponsor isn’t the be-all and end-all initially
Sports Business Journal (SBJ) previously reported that Cadillac are seeking as much as US$70 million a year from a title sponsor. Since then, the team’s chief executive Dan Towriss has emphatically stated that Cadillac will have a title sponsor next year.
The tone from the commercial team is more measured. That’s not to say Cadillac won’t secure a title sponsor in 2026, but it’s clear the team is not treating it as the primary objective at this stage.
“Right now, we’re not looking for a title partner and if that comes along, that comes along, but we’re not going to force anything,” says Teixeira.
“We will be more selective, making sure that it aligns so we can really activate together and do good things together versus making sure we have a title partner by the time the season starts or anything like that.
“And Cadillac is the hero brand, we can lead with that.”
With the significant financial backing of TWG Global and General Motors (GM) behind the entry, Cadillac are also under less pressure to secure a naming partner immediately.
That stance is reinforced by Dinger, who says the organisation is focused on building a “fewer, bigger, better partnership ecosystem”.
This doesn’t necessarily signal a long-term position, but, as Dinger notes, “this is the right strategy and approach for where we are right now and in this moment”.
Selling the Americana dream
In terms of who Cadillac’s partners could be in this new ecosystem, there will be a natural emphasis on US-based brands – but this will not be the sole focus for the team.
“While we might be based in the US, we’re absolutely looking at brands that want to activate across the global calendar with us,” Teixeira explains.
“So I think it’d be great to have some strong, different American brands, but also brands that really believe in getting on board with what we’re building, whether that’s a US brand or not.”
Without on-track performance, potential partners have to buy into the team’s long-term vision and the journey ahead. For Teixeira, that is closely tied to Cadillac’s broader brand story.
“That ties into our brand and marketing story that we’re talking about too, around this Americana dream,” she says. “The grit, the hustle, the grind and wanting to be part of that. Brands have to, until we have the performance on track to talk about, believe in what the future is for Cadillac.”
As for the industries being targeted, Cadillac are open-minded. Being able to build from the ground up also allows the team to be creative with their new commercial strategy.
“[We’re looking at] variety and diverse types of organisations,” says Dinger. “It might be tech brands, might be crypto, financial services, travel, airline, so we’re very much open for business.
“We’re making sure that we’re building very much for the long term, but almost offering a bit of a blank canvas so that we can really co-create these different activation programmes from the ground up, knowing that we haven’t got any legacy of partnership tiering.”
Dinger also pointed to the partnerships with Tommy Hilfiger and Jim Beam as examples of the types of brands that Cadillac want to do business with.
Checo can't wait to start working with Valtteri 🤩#F1 #MexicoGP @Cadillac_F1 pic.twitter.com/kGxdMC42mW
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2025
Bottas and Pérez provide stability – but Herta is the project
Both Teixeira and Dinger point to growing the fanbase and building fandom around the team as big KPIs in the early stages of Cadillac’s journey – a process that should be helped by a new docuseries fronted by actor Keanu Reeves detailing their work to join the grid.
However, data from CivicScience shows that only 23 per cent of US fans follow Formula One because of a particular driver or team. That presents a clear opportunity to convert those already on the fringes of the sport into true followers of the new Cadillac team, something further strengthened by their US roots.
A key component of that strategy will be its driver pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez. Both are established names with proven on-track pedigree, but they also bring significant off-track profiles.
Teixeira highlights the Mexican market as an area where Cadillac are having “great conversations”, while Dinger acknowledges that Bottas’ fun and quirky social media presence is something that “brands will see as a huge advantage”.
“I feel that we’ve got a great, diverse set of drivers that understand how they work with partners, to be able to be extremely progressional in the way that we show up and really help drive the values of the brand and the Cadillac Formula One team,” adds Dinger.
Colton Herta, who will turn 26 during the 2026 Formula Two season, achieved nine victories in IndyCar – but he hasn’t stood on the top step of the podium since Nashville in 2024 (Image credit: Penske Entertainment)
Waiting in the wings, though, is American star Colton Herta. After eight seasons and nine victories in IndyCar, he will make the unexpected switch to Formula Two next season – a move widely seen as preparation for a future Formula One seat with Cadillac if he wins the championship.
And while the team won’t fully admit it just yet, having an American driver is something they surely want sooner rather than later.
“It’s a very important component to how we want to position ourselves as a team and being able to use Colton for what he’s doing around driving the performance of the team, but also from a marketing perspective,” Dinger says.
“Being able to drive all of these different initiatives, driving experiences, meet and greets, and be able to really drive and engage with our partners, I feel is a massive advantage and benefit. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
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