CADILLAC FORUMLA 1
A New American Team. A New Playbook for Building Enterprise Value Before the First Race.
The Problem:
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team was entering the sport as the 11th team on the grid, backed by TWG Global and General Motors.
With that came the need to create an entirely new brand and to build long-term enterprise value from Day One.
Starting with a clean sheet of paper, the team was being built from the ground up. While engineers and technical teams worked against the clock to design and prepare a car for the 2026 season, leadership faced a parallel challenge:
How do you create commercial value before you have results?
In Formula 1, value is driven by audience scale, sponsorship demand, merchandise, and cultural relevance, all of which depend on one thing:
Fandom.
And that’s where the challenge intensified.
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team was entering a category dominated by legacy teams with decades of history, deeply entrenched fan loyalties, and global scale. Breaking through that level of noise isn’t just difficult, it’s rare.
At the same time, the team wasn’t built on a single brand.
It brought together three distinct entities: TWG Global, General Motors, and Cadillac, each with its own DNA, ambitions, and equity.
The challenge was to unify these into a single, coherent brand identity that could show up with clarity and conviction in-market.
And there was another layer.
Historically, American teams have struggled to build sustained fandom in Formula 1, both globally and domestically, limiting their ability to unlock sponsorship dollars and long-term commercial success.
So the problem wasn’t launching a team.
It was:
Building enterprise value from zero
In a category dominated by legacy players
With multiple parent brands to unify
In a market that had historically struggled to win
While needing to attract a new generation of fans beyond the traditional F1 audience
All before a single race had been run
INSIGHT:
If fandom is the key to long-term value, then building brand preference must be at the core. Not as a marketing output, but as the strategy itself.
The Solution:
With brand preference identified as the core driver of fandom and long-term value, Stone Owl partnered with TWG Lab and the Cadillac F1 leadership team to implement a strategic program designed to deliver against that objective.
Instead of relying on on-track performance or traditional team marketing to build a following over time, we approached this as a brand-first, culture-led opportunity to create fandom from Day One.
We started with a simple question:
What do we want people to love about this brand?
From there, we applied our structured approach to bring that to life:
Define What the Brand Stands For: We synthesized the DNA of TWG Global, GM, and Cadillac into a single, differentiated positioning, creating clarity for a brand that didn’t previously exist.
Shape a Brand World Built for Fandom: We provided strategic framing and guidance for a culturally driven brand world designed to live beyond the track — across entertainment, design, technology, and modern luxury — giving fans multiple ways to engage.
Focus on the Audience That Drives Growth: We identified and prioritized the next generation of Formula 1 fans — those who engage through culture, content, and lifestyle — ensuring the brand was built for where the sport is going, not where it has been.
Build a System for Consistent Engagement: We developed an omnichannel content and storytelling strategy designed to create sustained momentum across social, partnerships, and original content platforms.
Turn Moments into Momentum: We helped frame the team’s most important activations — from major announcements to entertainment properties like the Keanu Reeves docuseries and celebrity-led content — ensuring every moment reinforced the brand.
Measure and Optimize for Brand Preference: We implemented a Brand Preference measurement framework and reporting dashboard, delivering weekly insights to team executive leadership that guides decision-making, identifies opportunities, and continuously optimizes for fandom growth.
This approach applied Stone Owl’s proven system for building brand preference, expressed here as fandom, to create a new playbook for how a Formula 1 team can be built.
The Results:
Within the first six months of the team being announced for the 2026 grid, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team built the fastest-growing fan base in Formula 1, driving early commercial impact ahead of its first race.
0 → 3,000,000 social followers
0 → 25,000+ CRM subscribers
98% positive sentiment score
The driver announcement alone generated:
100M impressions
7.7M engagements
$3.4M in social media value
This early growth in fandom translated into strong commercial momentum, with the team attracting major brand partners including:
Tommy Hilfiger, Jim Beam, TWG AI, IFS, and Claro
And all of this was accomplished before the team even had a car on the grid.
The momentum has continued, with brand preference trending positively as expressed through fandom:
5M+ social followers
50,000+ CRM subscribers
