Cadillac denies Michael Bay’s multi-million dollar claims over Super Bowl F1 ad

Hours before Cadillac’s Super Bowl commercial aired, it was reported that film director Michael Bay is suing the F1 team in a lawsuit that alleges the team had “stolen Bay’s ideas and work” for the ad.

Cadillac has denied this, saying the concept had already been developed and that it was only “exploring” him as a director for the commercial.

Michael Bay is reportedly suing Cadillac

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Cadillac made Formula 1 history on Sunday night as the team unveiled its F1 2026 livery in a Super Bowl commercial shown during the fourth quarter of the final.

However, just hours prior, Rolling Stone reported that film director Bay was suing Cadillac for $1.5 million in damages relating to that ad.

The lawsuit claims that Cadillac had “apparently stolen Bay’s ideas and work for the commercial without paying for them”, adding that the team “planned all along to rip him off. They wanted a ‘Michael Bay’ commercial, in other words, at a bargain-basement price.

“Bay and his team worked tirelessly around the clock to prepare for this production. Bay personally pulled an all-nighter that evening, putting together various ideas for the project.”

Bay, however, was then informed via a text message that Cadillac was going in “a different direction.”

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The director reportedly later saw promotional materials for the Cadillac ad and noticed some familiar elements that he had proposed, specifically “shimmering” and “highly reflective gold chrome” finishes.

Bay is suing for $1.5 million in damages, which represents his standard director’s fee plus his team’s producer fees.

Cadillac, however, has denied any wrongdoing.

A Cadillac Formula 1 Team Spokesperson told PlanetF1.com: “Michael Bay is a cinematic genius and we talked with him about directing our Superbowl ad. But after two meetings, it became clear he couldn’t meet our timeline, and there ultimately wasn’t a path forward.

“It’s unclear why he’s bringing this claim, since the concept and creative were already developed and we were only exploring him as a director. It’s also unusual to raise this now, given the ad hasn’t even been released.

“We’re confident this will be resolved appropriately. Even so, we still admire Michael Bay’s creative brilliance and would welcome the opportunity to work together in the future.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch

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