American pride without apology, restrained and genuine
For the first time in Formula 1 history, an American team takes to the track on American soil — and Cadillac has dressed the occasion in the nation's colors. Born from a partnership between General Motors and TWG Motorsports, the team arrives at Miami's Grand Prix not yet with points on the board, but with a livery that quietly insists on belonging. In the long arc of American ambition in motorsport, this weekend is less a culmination than a beginning.
- Cadillac enters Miami without a single championship point after three races and a sprint event — the pressure of a home debut lands on a team still searching for its footing.
- A month-long gap in the calendar, caused by the postponement of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia amid Middle East conflict, has left the entire paddock recalibrating — Cadillac hopes the pause works in their favor.
- The stars-and-stripes livery threads red, white, and blue through the team's black-and-white identity with enough restraint to feel like pride rather than performance — 'USA' on the rear wing says it plainly.
- Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas bring genuine experience to the cockpit, yet the Ferrari-powered car has not delivered what the talent and resources on paper should suggest is possible.
- Miami opens a stretch of three American races this season, making it the most consequential window yet for Cadillac to prove its arrival was more than optimism dressed up as ambition.
Formula 1 returns to Miami this weekend carrying a historic footnote: for the first time, an American team will race on American soil. Cadillac — the product of a General Motors and TWG Motorsports joint venture — has marked the moment with a livery that weaves the Stars and Stripes into its signature black-and-white design. Red, white, and blue accents trace the bodywork, "USA" anchors the rear wing in bold letters, and matching firesuits will complete the picture when the cars roll out. It's a design that could easily have tipped into spectacle; instead it reads as something closer to quiet conviction.
The backdrop is complicated. The season opened in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia before a month-long interruption — both races postponed due to the war in the Middle East — leaving the calendar fractured and teams in an unusual holding pattern. Cadillac is three races and one sprint event into its maiden season, and the results have been sobering. No points. No podium. Just the slow, unglamorous education of a new operation competing at motorsport's highest level.
Drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas carry real pedigree, and the Ferrari power unit they share with Haas is no handicap on paper. Yet something hasn't aligned. Whether the gap is mechanical, developmental, or simply the steep cost of being new remains an open question.
Miami is the first of three American races this season, and for Cadillac it carries a weight beyond the sporting calendar. The month's rest, the home crowd, and the new livery all point in the same direction — a team signaling that it intends to be taken seriously. Practice begins Friday under a sprint weekend format, and by the time the lights go out, the story of whether this homecoming changes anything will have already begun to write itself.
Formula 1 is back this weekend in Miami, and for the first time, an American team will race on American soil. Cadillac, the newcomer to the grid born from a partnership between General Motors and TWG Motorsports, has marked the occasion with a livery that wraps the Stars and Stripes around its signature black-and-white design—a visual statement of homecoming that feels both bold and restrained.
The timing carries weight. A month-long break interrupted the racing calendar after events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were postponed due to the war in the Middle East. Now, as the sport resumes, Cadillac arrives at Miami for what amounts to a debut on home turf. The team is three races and one sprint event into its inaugural Formula 1 season, and the results so far have been modest. No points yet. No podium finishes. Just the grinding work of a new operation learning to compete at motorsport's highest level.
But the livery itself is a small triumph. The designers kept the core identity—black and white—and threaded red, white, and blue accents through the design with care. The rear wing carries "USA" in bold letters, a touch that announces the team's nationality without overwhelming the overall aesthetic. Matching firesuits will complete the picture when the drivers take to the track. It's the kind of design choice that could have gone wrong easily, could have tipped into kitsch or bombast. Instead, it reads as genuine pride without apology.
Cadillac's roster includes Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, two drivers with serious pedigree and experience. The team runs a Ferrari power unit, the same engine that powers Ferrari itself and Haas, the other American outfit on the grid. On paper, the pieces exist to compete. Yet something hasn't clicked. The machinery hasn't performed the way the combination of talent and resources might suggest it should. Whether that's a setup issue, a development lag, or simply the brutal learning curve of a new team remains unclear.
Miami is the first of three races on American soil this season, and for Cadillac, it represents something more than just another weekend. It's a chance to prove that the optimism surrounding the team's arrival—and yes, some of that optimism may have been premature—was not entirely misplaced. The month off could help. The home crowd could help. The new livery, at least, sends a message: Cadillac is here, and it's American.
Practice begins Friday, the only session before a sprint weekend format takes over. By then, we'll know whether the break and the homecoming have shifted anything in the team's trajectory, or whether the search for that first point continues.
Citas Notables
The pieces are there to score points, but Cadillac hasn't maximized the capabilities of its Ferrari power unit the way other teams using the same engine have.— Analysis of team performance
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a livery matter so much? It's just paint on a car.
Because it's the first thing people see, and it tells a story about who you are. For Cadillac, this design says: we're American, we're proud of it, but we're not shouting. That restraint matters.
The team hasn't scored points yet. Doesn't that undercut the celebration?
It does, a little. But that's also why the livery works—it's not arrogance. It's a statement of intent, not a victory lap. They're saying: we belong here.
What about the drivers? Perez and Bottas are proven. Why haven't they delivered?
That's the real question. The engine is good, the drivers are good, but something in the system isn't working. Maybe it's the car, maybe it's how they're running it. A month off might give them time to figure it out.
Is Miami special for them in a way other races aren't?
It's home. That matters psychologically. And it's the first of three American races this season. If they're going to prove themselves, this is where the narrative starts.
Do you think they'll score points this weekend?
I hope so. The pieces are there. But hope and reality are different things in Formula 1.