Formula 1 will not only have a completely new set of regulations in 2026, but will also see the arrival of new teams and engine manufacturers.

For the first time since 2016, the grid will expand to 11 teams, with Cadillac making its highly anticipated debut.

The landscape of engine suppliers is also set for a shake-up as Audi joins the grid with its own team and power unit, having taken over Sauber.

Red Bull will also use its own engine through a new partnership with Ford, and Honda returns as the works supplier for Aston Martin.

Audi

Announced in 2022, Audi’s F1 project is a direct response to the new technical regulations coming into play in 2026 which focus on greater electrification, sustainable fuels, and more cost controls.

All of the above was decisive in Audi’s entry, which acquired the Sauber operation to rename it and race under its own name in F1 for the first time next season.

While the team was already established, Audi is entering F1 with its own power unit, which will make its debut in 2026.

The team will be based across two key locations: Audi’s facility in Neuburg, Germany, and Sauber’s established base in Hinwil, Switzerland. The former will produce the engine while the latter will be in charge of the chassis.

The Neuburg facility boasts 22 state-of-the-art test benches and has completed F1 engine runs and race simulations ahead of its debut.

Audi has faced a fair amount of internal upheaval that has contributed to a turbulent build-up since announcing its F1 entry.

There have been several high-profile departures, including CEO Andreas Seidl and chief representative Oliver Hoffmann, reportedly due to power struggles within the organisation.

After Seidl’s exit, Audi’s F1 project has been led by ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto, who will be responsible for overseeing all development activities across Audi’s facilities.

Ex-Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley has taken on the role of team principal and will manage race operations, working closely with Binotto to coordinate the transformation of Sauber into a fully integrated Audi works operation.

On the engine side, Christian Foyer was recently appointed Chief Operating Officer, replacing outgoing CEO Adam Baker.

Stefan Dreyer is the Chief Technical Officer overseeing power unit development.

Audi’s racing drivers for its first F1 season will be Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.

Cadillac

American carmaker Cadillac will become Formula 1’s 11th team in 2026, expanding the field to 22 cars for the first time since the 2016 season, after which the grid shrunk to 20 cars following the folding of the Manor squad.

Cadillac’s entry is the culmination of several years of efforts to get a new American team into F1, with the project initially spearheaded by Michael Andretti and later evolving into a full-fledged partnership between General Motors and TWG Motorsports.

Its entry was finally approved in March of 2025, although work on the project had been ongoing for several years, the company expanding its facilities, hiring more staff and even testing a wind tunnel model of an F1 car.

Getting the final approval was a lengthy process as Andretti faced opposition from the current teams and Formula One Management, which questioned the value of the entry and worried about the dilution of the prize fund.

In its first years, Cadillac will use Ferrari-supplied engines and gearboxes, while GM is already laying the groundwork for a future in-house power unit, targeting a debut for its own engine as early as 2028.

Cadillac’s main headquarters will be near Silverstone in the UK, complemented by engineering and technical facilities in Indiana, North Carolina, and Michigan.

Its entry means F1 will have two American teams from next year as Cadillac joins Haas.

Ex-Marussia and Virgin Racing boss Graeme Lowdon will serve as team principal of the team.

Russ O’Blenes will be the CEO of TWG GM Performance Power Units LLC, the entity tasked with developing Cadillac’s future F1 engines. Additionally, Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports, will play an executive role in the project, overseeing the partnership between TWG and General Motors.

Cadillac is yet to name its drivers, although several have been linked with the team. The list includes Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu, Mick Schumacher and Colton Herta among others.

Red Bull Powertrains

The 2026 season will see Red Bull being powered by its own F1 engine for the first time since it entered the series in 2005, joining Ferrari, Mercedes and Audi in building its power unit in-house next year.

The move marks a significant departure from its strategy, having achieved all its success in F1 with engines manufactured by Renault and Honda.

Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) was established in 2021 following Honda’s decision to withdraw from F1 at the end of the season.

RBPT began supplying rebranded Honda engines to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri from 2022 onwards, but 2026 will be the first time when the company builds its own power units.

Red Bull has formed a technical and marketing partnership with Ford, which will return to F1 after a two-decade absence.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner also serves as CEO of RBPT, whose technical leadership team has Ben Hodgkinson as technical director after being lured from Mercedes to lead the engine department.

Both Red Bull and sister team Racing Bulls will be powered by RBPT engines in 2026.

Honda

Honda is not coming back to Formula 1 next year because it actually never left, despite announcing its exit at the end of the 2021 season.

However, the Japanese manufacturer is making a full-scale return to the series to become Aston Martin’s exclusive engine supplier.

While Honda has been working with Red Bull and its teams for years, the move is significant for Aston Martin, which will have a “works” engine deal for the first time, having used Mercedes customer engines since 2009.

The British squad, which sees the rules reset as a big opportunity to make the leap to the front of the field, hopes to benefit from a deeper integration between chassis and engine, as it has worked with Honda during the design process to ensure a seamless transition.

Even though Honda never really left F1, the series’ push to become more sustainable was key in the Japanese maker deciding to make a fully-fledged return next year.

Honda’s engine programme is led by Tetsushi Kakuda, who holds the roles of F1 Project Leader and Executive Chief Engineer, and who has said that the company will be pushing the development of the engine until the last moment to give Aston Martin a better shot.