Sports
With F1 entry, General Motors has a shot to become America’s team on the grid
Monday marked a massive step for American motorsports. But can it be converted to a victory?
Formula One announced that it came to “an agreement in principle with General Motors,” the well-known American manufacturer, to join the grid in 2026. It’ll be the first time more than 10 teams have been on the grid since 2016, and GM already is calling it the Cadillac Formula 1 Team in its news release.
If the application is finalized, GM will have two cars on the grid but will need to be a customer team first, buying an engine from one of the existing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) while it continues to work towards building its own power unit. The goal is to be a works team by the end of the decade.
There have been American aspects in F1 before. Ford left the sport in 2004 as an engine manufacturer and will return in 2026 with a technical partnership with Red Bull. Haas is the current American team, though with most of its operations in Europe, and there’s not an American driver on the grid after Franco Colapinto replaced Logan Sargeant this past season.
GM and Cadillac, though, are poised to be a true all-American F1 team, between operations largely being in the U.S. and the expressed interest in possibly signing an American driver. The interest in the sport has rapidly grown in this country since the COVID-19 pandemic for a variety of reasons, and given the culture of sport in the United States, GM faces a unique opportunity to seize a market that thrives on national pride in competition.
Can General Motors take F1 fandom to the next level, furthering the stronghold the sport has in America?
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A look at F1’s American ties
F1 is no stranger to the U.S.
It has raced at Watkins Glen International (from 1961-1980) and had stints out in Long Beach, California (1976-1983), Detroit (1982-1988) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (1950-60, 2000-2007). The international motorsport series competed at nine U.S. tracks over the years before leaving the country after the 2007 United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis. But then came Circuit of the Americas, which joined the calendar in 2012 and brought back the U.S. Grand Prix.
Then came Colorado-based Liberty Media, which acquired F1 in 2017. The company modernized F1 and increased its digital presence, opening up what had long been considered a closed-off sport. The Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive” debuted in 2019 but took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving people worldwide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the rivalries, teams and drivers. As interest grew in the sport, F1 expanded its reach in the U.S., with Miami (2022) and Las Vegas (2023) added to the calendar.
Haas has tried to lean into being ‘America’s Team’ with its liveries, but the fact remains it is largely a European operation. (Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
However, as far as a proper American team goes, there have been few in F1’s history. Haas joined in 2016, and it was the first American team since 1986, when the unrelated Haas Lola last competed. Haas does have ties to NASCAR and Kannapolis, North Carolina, but the F1 racing operation is largely over in Europe. It is a global approach, and Haas does still lean into its American identity, such as the eagle on the side of the car during the 2024 U.S. Grand Prix.
But it does raise questions about how American the team is.
“We want to be the American global team,” former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner once told The Athletic. “You need to be proud of your identity, but not just use that one as this is what makes us great, because you could fail as well. If you do bad, you don’t make America proud.”
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Then there’s the case of the drivers. The most recent American on the F1 grid was Sargeant, who scored one point during his 36 grands prix with Williams, and there’s been an extensive history of Americans competing in F1 dating back to the 1950s — the likes of Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Mario Andretti, and Scott Speed.
Mario Andretti remains the winningest American F1 driver ever. (Tony Duffy/Allsport via Getty Images)
Making an international name
Of course, one thing Haas hasn’t done to capture American fans’ imagination is win in F1. In 188 F1 races across nine seasons, Haas has zero podiums and just 299 total points, never finishing higher than fifth in the constructors championship.
Will General Motors fare any better? The company has extensive motorsports success, including 1,199 NASCAR Cup Series victories with Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Chevrolet has won nearly two-and-a-half times as many NASCAR manufacturer’s titles as Ford, with 43, and it has won 13 Indianapolis 500s.
But when it comes to international motorsports, GM hasn’t been a big player outside of nine class victories at Le Mans. But now, racing in F1 under the Cadillac brand, it has the potential and a leg up on rival Ford, who will be with Red Bull as a technical partner but not as a team owner. There will likely be pressure on GM to produce results relatively quickly.
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GM joining F1 is a big win for the storied U.S. motorsports brand
From an operational standpoint, the project has continued hiring personnel across different departments, even after the Andretti bid was initially rejected. The operations, though, aren’t all centered in one location. Cadillac F1 will operate in Silverstone, England; Fishers, Indiana; Warren, Michigan; and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The England base isn’t a surprise, as it keeps the team within the heart of the F1 world and has been up and running for months. However, the other locations are in the different power hubs of American motorsports. GM has a technical center in Warren and Charlotte, and Andretti plans to use Fishers as the global HQ.
Then there’s the drivers, which could further the all-American team appeal.
During the initial bid process, there was an expressed desire to have at least one American driver. However, there has been no news on drivers — not just names but also whether GM would want two rookies, two veterans or a mix. This could open the door to the likes of Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen or Colapinto, who won’t have a full-time seat next year. Or could American drivers like Sargeant, Formula 2’s Jak Crawford or IndyCar’s Colton Herta (depending on the superlicense) be in the mix? There’s a wealth of talent to pull from across different series.
Four years after the initial “Drive to Survive” boom, GM and Cadillac will give U.S. fans a team they can identify with, particularly if an American driver is signed and success follows. There’s an opportunity to seize within the American market, and General Motors might just accomplish the feat.
Italians rally around Ferrari. Will GM become America’s Team?
(Photo: Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images; Design: Dan Goldfarb/The Athletic)
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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