(Motorsport-Total.com) – The cat is out of the bag: As the last Formula 1 team, Cadillac revealed the name of its new Formula 1 car on Friday. The designation of the first car as a racing team in the premier class honors a former Formula 1 world champion who played a major role in building the team: Mario Andretti.
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The first Cadillac car goes by the name MAC-26. MAC stands for the abbreviation “Mario Andretti Cadillac”, the 26 of course for the current year.
Andretti was one of the original drivers behind the project to bring the team into Formula 1, which was previously led by his son Michael and was actually supposed to bear the name Andretti. Formula 1 rejected it, but gave the project the green light under the name Cadillac.
The Andretti family has since withdrawn, but Mario Andretti, 1978 Formula 1 world champion, has taken on an advisory role in the racing team, which is now led by majority owner Dan Towriss and team principal Graeme Lowdon.
Nevertheless, the team has drawn strong inspiration from the American racing icon, which has now been immortalized by naming the very first Formula 1 car after Andretti.
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“Naming our first chassis MAC-26 reflects the spirit that Mario brought to Formula 1 and the belief that an American team belongs on this stage,” emphasizes Towriss. “His story embodies the American dream and inspires us every day in the way we build this team.”
Andretti himself says he feels honored to see his name associated with the arrival of a new US team in Formula 1: “Racing has been the joy of my life. It is the ultimate compliment that the Cadillac Formula 1 team considers these years significant and worthy of capturing with this honor,” says the 85-year-old.
The Cadillac design for 2026
“I appreciate the opportunity this gives me to have a lasting connection to Formula 1 and am sincerely grateful to everyone who continues to recognize my part in racing history.”
Cadillac will compete in 2026 with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. The black and white livery of the MAC-26 was unveiled during a commercial during the Super Bowl.
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