'Accelerate our efforts': What everyone is asking about F1's newest team

Cadillac have a mountain to climb to get ready for their debut Formula 1 race in Melbourne next year.

After the announcement that their entry to the sport was given the green light on March 7, F1's newest team has been shrouded in mystery.

With no big driver announcements or team officials being reported, fans have been left to wonder about Cadillac's next steps.

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A glitzy Miami event with more celebrities than F1 personnel announced to the sport their logo and identity, but behind the scenes the outfit has been moving full steam ahead to prepare for the the start of their F1 tilt.

Where will the team be based?

The team will have two bases for their new venture. One in Silverstone, much like the rest of the paddock, and this will be where all their Formula 1 and single-seater activities will be based out of.

The senior officials of the team, Mark Walter and Dan Towriss, set up the venue themselves before the team was even made official, collating team personnel off their own money to get a head start on the project.

Cadillac and General Motors are involved in other motorsport categories globally, mainly in America where their home base is in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The United States headquarters will be where the Cadillac specific engine is built, slated to be ready for the 2029 season.

What engine will Cadillac use and what teams will they take parts from?

For their first three seasons, Cadillac will be utilising Ferrari-made engines in their cars.

But as stated earlier, their Charlotte base will be creating engines for the team from 2029 onwards with General Motors.

Russ O'Blenes, chief executive of the team said, "With this approval from FIA, we will continue to accelerate our efforts to bring an American-built F1 power unit to the grid."

But until they have set themselves up fully, the nascent team will need to fast-track their entry by drawing heavily on external team parts including the Ferrari engine, which includes their gearbox and rear suspension.

Their aerodynamic development has also begun in Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne and outside suppliers AVL have been supplying their test benches for the power unit.

Who will drive for Cadillac and will there be an American driver?

The driver market is rife with questions about the two new open seats, Mick Schumacher looking like a likely candidate for the role after being seen at the team's Miami event.

The initial thoughts in the paddock is that team principal Graeme Lowdon's shortlist for drivers will feature more experienced drivers that are on the market and will avoid rookie drivers for the start-up team.

This means the idea of the American team on the F1 grid featuring an American driver is less than likely.

IndyCar's Colton Herta was in the running, but he has not yet obtained his super licence that will allow him to drive a Formula 1 car, so the likelihood of his name being thrown in the ring is questionable.

That leaves a handful of drivers that are currently on the fringe of the sport as candidates; Sergio Perez, Valterri Bottas, Felipe Drugovich, Mick Schumacher and recently-ditched Jack Doohan have all been names whispered in contention.

How much does it cost to join the grid?

Every new entry for Formula 1 is required to pay a significant entry fee of $348m AUD just to join the grid.

This is because each of the 10 teams currently in the sport want their compensation for the shared revenue they would be losing out on when another entry joins, an 'anti-dilution ruling'.

This was written into the 2020 Concorde Agreement and the fee would be shared evenly amongst all competitors.

After that entry fee, a significant amount of money would need to be poured into building facilities (usually in the UK), hiring personnel that will include poaching individuals from different F1 teams and developing a competitive car.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described the process and cost as "necessary" to join the pinnacle of motorsport and added that "every team that is joining needs to add value."

"If a real brand with good people, necessary funding, not only [will pay] the $348m AUD but probably you need more around ($1.7b AUD) if you want to play in this club straight from the get-go."

Their entry also coincided with the largest change to regulations in the sport for next year. An aggressive weight limit and power unit budget limitations mean the team need to supercharge their innovations to make the cut for Melbourne next March.

Even the idea of shipping sea freight over to Australia for the first race is a massive undertaking, with huge upfront costs involved.

Is there a limit on how many teams can race in F1?

The only limit on Formula 1 and their teams is in the Concorde Agreement. Twelve teams can race, each with a two-car entry.

That means right now, Formula 1 has space in its sport to add two new teams if it so pleases, one team now that Cadillac is joining in 2026.

But the existing teams have not always been so nice to other external players.

At the beginning of last season, the teams looked to sign a deal in the newest Concorde Agreement (that will run from the 2026 season to 2030) to only allow 10 teams in Formula 1.

That meant that the only way a new outfit could join would be to buy out and replace an existing team.

General Motors, who will utilise the brand name Cadillac, joined the sport just in time to become the 11th line-up on the grid.

It will not replace any team in the paddock, instead becoming a new team entirely.