The Cadillac F1 Team has named its first Formula 1 challenger MAC-26, a tribute to racing legend Mario Andretti, as the new American outfit prepares for its debut at the Australian Grand Prix in 2026.
The name stands for Mario Andretti Cadillac. Team leaders say the initials place Andretti at the heart of the project he helped push for years. The car will represent American motorsport when Cadillac joins Formula 1 as the sport’s first start-up team in a decade.
The announcement came just before Andretti’s 86th birthday on Feb. 28. That timing turned the naming reveal into a personal tribute to one of the most successful drivers in American racing history.
The car has already completed its shakedown run. Drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas logged a combined 3,935 kilometres in the Ferrari-powered MAC-26 during winter testing.
Andretti’s role in bringing the Cadillac F1 team to life
Andretti helped launch the effort to bring a new American team into Formula 1. The project was first led by his son, Michael Andretti, under the Andretti Global banner.
The structure changed before F1 approved the entry. Michael Andretti stepped back from Andretti Global in October 2024 amid pressure from Formula 1 management and Liberty Media, which controls the sport’s commercial rights.
Even after those changes, Mario Andretti stayed close to the programme. He took on the role of ambassador while new leadership built the team.
Today, the team operates under majority owner Dan Towriss, the CEO of TWG Motorsports and team principal Graeme Lowdon.
The MAC-26 name keeps Mario Andretti tied to the project in a permanent way. It marks his influence on the effort to place a new American team on the F1 grid.
Reactions from team leadership
Towriss said the name reflects the identity the team wants to build.
“Naming our first chassis MAC-26 reflects the spirit Mario carried into Formula 1 and the belief that an American team belongs on this stage,” Towriss said, according to Autosport. “His story embodies the American dream and inspires how we approach building this team every day.”
Lowdon described Mario in personal terms while speaking about the project’s early days.
He called Andretti “an incredible man with a gentle heart, who believes in everyone’s ability to shape their own path.”
“At the start of my own journey with the team, he asked me not to let him down,” Lowdon said in comments reported by F1 insider @timhauraney on X. “I hope that he will be proud to see the Cadillac Formula 1 car bearing his name finally take to the grid.”
Lowdon said Andretti’s competitive mindset shapes the team culture. He often points to Andretti’s well-known line: “If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.”
“We’re going as fast as we possibly can,” Lowdon said. “He’s a true champion. He has the energy and the competitive spirit of a champion.”
Mario Andretti responds to the tribute
Andretti, who won the 1978 Formula 1 title with Team Lotus and the Indianapolis 500, welcomed the honour.
“Racing has been the joy of my life,” Andretti said. “It is the ultimate compliment that the Cadillac Formula 1 Team sees those years as meaningful and worthy of recording with this honour.”
He said the tribute creates a lasting bond between him and the sport he loves.
Andretti added that he is “genuinely appreciative of everyone who continues to acknowledge my part in racing history.”
The MAC-26 now heads toward its first race weekend in Australia. Early expectations remain modest.
The team believes it could fight with the Aston Martin, which has had a miserable pre-season test, to avoid finishing in last place on the grid in its first races. For Cadillac, the priority is simple: reach the start line, learn fast, and begin building its place in F1.
