General Motors is readily throwing its corporate and engineering might behind its forthcoming entry into Formula 1. According to a report posted by Reuters late last week, the automotive conglomerate has set up a new engine company, GM Performance Power Units LLC, to handle the development and production of the power unit for the forthcoming two-car team, which is set to join the 10 existing teams on the F1 grid for the 2026 season.
Russ O’Blenes, who currently serves as director of the GM Motorsports Propulsion and Performance team, will head up the operation.
“In F1, we’re going to demonstrate GM’s engineering and technology capabilities on a global stage, and Russ is the right choice to lead the Power Unit team that will make it happen,” said GM President Mark Reuss in a statement.
But the new company isn’t targeting a concurrent launch of the new power unit with the team’s first season. For the 2026 and 2027 seasons, Ferrari will supply power units for both cars. The target for the internally developed PU is the 2028 season, which will then make the Cadillac team a works team, a pretty prestigious title amongst the grid, and a point of contention while GM was vying for a spot in F1 last year.
Development and testing of a prototype power unit has already begun, according to Cadillac. Plans are also already in place for the new company to open a dedicated facility in 2026 near the GM technical centre in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Of course, once the power units are ready to roll, they’ll undergo extensive testing by Formula 1 to ensure they meet the forthcoming regulations, which are set to take effect in 2026. The long and short of those regulations include a far greater reliance on electrical power – closer to a 50/50 split between electrical and internal combustion energy, as opposed to the current system, where ICE makes up a far greater percentage of the overall propulsion pie. (The exact split between ICE/electrical power varies depending on where you look, but generally, the figures seem to be between 80/20 and 75/25.)
If all holds true among the rest of the F1 grid, there will be six OEMs involved with power unit manufacturing by the start of the 2028 season: Mercedes, Ferrari, Ford (in partnership with Red Bull Powertrains), Honda, Audi, and Cadillac.
Of course, given the often sordid nature of the sport at times, that feels about as likely as the reintroduction of free-breathing V10s. Still, it will be exciting to follow how this all unfolds.
