“We want to be in charge of our destiny” – Why Cadillac isn’t following Haas’ path with Ferrari

The new Cadillac Formula 1 team has explained its approach regarding its Ferrari customer status.

For its first three F1 seasons, the General Motors brand opted for Ferrari power units as its own engine project won’t come to fruition before 2029 at the earliest.

The American outfit is also using the Scuderia’s gearbox, but stopped short of buying as many parts as the technical regulations would allow.

The team’s engineering consultant Pat Symonds cheekily alluded to fellow Ferrari client Haas, which was F1’s most recent new squad until Cadillac and which based its business model on using more customer parts than other outfits typically do.

As well as Ferrari’s power unit and transmission, Haas’ VF-26 car features the Maranello-designed suspensions, steering, and steering wheel.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

“The thing that we've perhaps done a little bit differently to, let's say, the last new team that came in, is that I think we're great believers in the fact that we should be in charge of our own destiny and that we are a works team – we're heading to be a works team,” Symonds said.

“So, when you look at our car, you'll see we haven't just bought all the components that we can. We elected that as we were taking the Ferrari engine, we would take the Ferrari gearbox [as well] but we didn't take the whole back end as some other people may have done. We felt that we needed to do our own gearbox carrier, our own rear suspension, etc.

“So, although there are a number of parts that you can still take quite legally, we chose not to do that because, as I say, I think being in charge of your own destiny, understanding the philosophy behind your design is very, very important if you want to progress. It's hard to progress someone else's philosophical design unless you understand all the nuances that go with it.”

Meanwhile, General Motors’ F1 power unit project is moving ahead for 2029, with team CEO Dan Towriss describing it as “ahead of schedule, actually”.

Although the programme depends on how engine regulations will evolve in the future – which Cadillac is keeping “a close eye on” – Towriss is confident the new powertrain can be developed amid the team’s customer relationship with Ferrari.

“In terms of IP, yeah, everybody's got to bring their own IP, right?” the American said. “So Ferrari has theirs. And, again, with the GM Performance power unit group that's part of the Formula 1 team, we're developing our own IP. We're developing our own engines and bringing our own work product to the grid in Formula 1.

“So those are going to be completely separate. And we're going to be a customer team of Ferrari while we're building our PUs, and that's going to be GM work.”