Once Cadillac got the green flag to join Formula 1 in 2024, it became the first American constructor in F1 history. Yet it was also just the latest motorsports move for a brand that's been closely involved in racing for years. In fact, Cadillac was even on the starting grid in 1949 when NASCAR launched its Strictly Stock Division, which would eventually become today's Cup Series.
Two Cadillac Series 61 cars then raced at Le Mans just a year later, including a modified, rebodied version that was called "Le Monstre." With a streamlined, futuristic body created by a Grumman engineer and fine-tuned in a wind tunnel, and mostly stock mechanicals, Le Monstre had a top speed of 130 mph. That was nearly 15 mph faster than the stock-bodied Le Mans Cadillac. The two Cadillacs finished 10th and 11th overall in the race, with Le Monstre falling behind its coupe counterpart due to an earlier crash.
The company stepped back from racing in the years after that to focus more on its own unique brand of luxury, although the occasional Cadillac still made motorsports news. In 1971, for example, a Cadillac Sedan de Ville completed the inaugural Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash with the highest average speed during actual driving. The cross-country Cadillac didn't finish first because it had to make more fuel stops than the winning Ferrari Daytona. That said, Cadillac has spent plenty of time in the winner's circle since then, especially in the 21st century.
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The Return Of Cadillac Racing
The early 2000s saw Cadillac moving in a more European, driver-oriented direction, with cars like the CTS-V, and racing would be a way to promote the change. As Jeff Kettman, who helped get the program off the ground, told DailySportsCar.com, "The whole reason that Cadillac got involved in motorsports was to shift the public perspective of Cadillac to more of a sporty vehicle." It definitely worked for the longroof editions, as we discovered when looking at why the CTS-V wagons are still so expensive.
A highlight was supposed to be Cadillac's new endurance-racing program for both Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series. Unfortunately, Cadillac underestimated both the budget needed to win at that level and the ability of its Northstar V8 to get the job done. The best finish for this era's Northstar LMP race cars, which ran from 2000 to 2002, was ninth in Cadillac's final year of competition.
It was a harsh learning experience that paid off when Cadillac began racing the CTS-V on a smaller stage: the Sports Car Club of America's World Challenge GT Championship. In four years of racing that began in 2004, Cadillac notched 12 wins, one driver's title, and two manufacturer championships. The winning speeded up even further after Pirelli began sponsoring the GT Challenge. From 2012 to 2017, the CTS-V.R and ATS-V.R were responsible for five more driver's championships and helped Cadillac score three more manufacturer's crowns.
The Modern Era Of Cadillac Racing
Cadillac shifted gears on its racing efforts again in 2017 by moving up to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series, where it fielded cars in the Daytona Prototype international class. The so-called DPi.V.R machines racked up another seven championships and 27 additional wins in endurance racing, led by four consecutive victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
This no doubt helped convince Cadillac to test its mettle at the highest level of endurance racing starting in 2023, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) overseen by the same organization — the FIA — that's in charge of Formula 1. (Cadillac still competes in the IMSA WeatherTech series, too.)
Things have gone a bit better this time around for Cadillac's Le Mans aspirations, as the brand finished third and fourth at the 2023 race, and it locked out the front row in qualifying this year — despite coming in fifth and eighth in the actual race.
It seemed to be a minor bump on the track for Cadillac, however. In the very next event on the WEC calendar, the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, Cadillac became the first U.S. manufacturer to notch a 1-2 finish in the top-level Hypercar class. It's no wonder folks are now so hyped about Cadillac's entry into Formula 1.
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