GM announces 18 December opening for F1 engine factory

General Motors’ Formula 1 engine factory in Charlotte, North Carolina, is due to open on 18 December, GM president Mark Reuss announced at an Autosport Business Exchange conference in New York. The FIA approved GM in 2025 to supply power units from the 2029 season, and the company has another couple of years to design its own unit.

A potential return to V8 engines could leave GM with a short competitive window. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has committed to the switch by 2031, potentially with sustainable fuel and a smaller share of electric power. If it happens in 2031, GM’s powertrain could race for two seasons at most; if the switch is brought forward to 2030, perhaps only one.

Cadillac is still running customer Ferrari power units; it is the only team yet to score a point in 2026, and the MAC-26 has qualified slowest at each of the last four rounds. “We’re not here to finish last,” Reuss said, adding that building the team, powertrain and car would take time. He thanked Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas for their patience, saying both understood what the process requires.