Ford v GM: The ultimate battle that would complete F1’s American dream

Jamie Woodhouse
The United States flag flying at COTA. Austin, October 2022.

The flag of the United States displayed at the Circuit of The Americas. Austin, October 2022.

American giants Ford are on their way to Formula 1…and now the door needs to open for rival General Motors.

Formula 1’s American dream was already in full swing with the increase to three rounds based in the nation for 2023, Las Vegas joining Miami and the long-standing United States GP at the Circuit of The Americas.

The next step was adding an American driver to the grid, having not had one since 2015. Step forward Logan Sargeant, who has graduated to the Williams line-up to race alongside Alex Albon.

And now, rumour has turned to reality with Red Bull and Ford announcing an engine partnership from 2026, the point where the new generation of power units will come into play.

“As soon as [people] knew Ford had some interest, a lot of people came forward, whether it was an existing team or prospective teams to see if there was an opportunity for us to partner with them,” Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, explained as per Formula 1.com.

“We approached some teams, but initially none of them seemed right. Coming back in as a full factory… owning a team, as we’ve done in the past, also didn’t feel right. We wanted to come in very strategically, to contribute where it made sense, and also learn where it made sense.

“With Red Bull, it was quickly apparent that what they were looking for in a partner is something we could bring, and what we were looking for in a partner is something they could bring. We knew it was the right partnership from the very beginning.”

Red Bull Ford then is one of six power unit manufacturers listed by the FIA for 2026, but if General Motors have their way, then they will be further increasing the American influence in Formula 1.

They are in cahoots with Andretti, as that American duo looks to force its way through some opposition from existing teams to make it onto the Formula 1 grid, GM nominating their Cadillac brand for this Formula 1 push.

The thought of these two American automotive juggernauts battling it out on the Formula 1 stage surely should be far too tempting for the series to resist.

A lot of the opposition that currently exists from some parts of the grid towards Andretti-Cadillac boils down to money, teams not wanting to take a hit on revenue distribution with a new name getting in on the action, if they are not going to raise that overall prize pot.

But it seems extremely hard to argue that the prospect of Ford and GM going head-to-head in F1 would bring anything but major positives for the series.

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The United States continues to become an increasingly lucrative market for Formula 1, and the presence of Sargeant at Williams marks another key step as the nation’s faithful now have a driver of their own to get behind, even if he is not expected to compete near the front of the grid anytime soon.

What Formula 1 really needs to make their American dream truly come to fruition is this Ford versus GM battle which is just waiting to happen, Ford looking to ensure that Red Bull’s title-winning ways continue, and Andretti-Cadillac set on bringing them to an end.

This sounds like the kind of battle and storyline which could truly take Formula 1’s success in the United States to a whole other level and complete the American dream.