The Super Bowl will see a flurry of ads from major consumer brands like Bud Light and Ritz crackers, and tech giants like Uber and OpenAI … but this year an upstart motorsport racing team will be revving up for the big game too.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned the Cadillac Formula 1 team will have a commercial during the 4th quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl, using the game to debut the livery for its high-tech race cars, while teeing up Apple’s F1 ambitions in the process.
After the livery is introduced, the ad will feature a prominent “watch on Apple TV” message, with the tech giant now officially the home for F1 racing in the U.S.
“F1 sits at the intersection of sports, innovation and culture, and the fan engagement is evolving quickly with even more energy than ever,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of services. “Seeing Cadillac enter the grid in such a bold way is incredibly exciting, and a great signal of where the sport continues to head.”
“The opportunity to grow F1 fandom in America is massive, and it’s still early,” adds Dan Towriss, the CEO of Cadillac F1. “Apple has shown they deeply understand the sport and how to bring in new fans without losing its authenticity. I’m excited to work with them in 2026 to grow the community of fans both domestically and globally.”
The Super Bowl will be something of a formal introduction to the team, which will make its debut in F1 (or the Grid, as they call it) this season. Cadillac wants to establish itself as America’s team in a sport dominated by European players, and it is planning to use the biggest sports cultural moment in America to do so.
The racing circuit has already seen significant growth stateside, bolstered by pop culture hits like Drive to Survive on Netflix, and last year’s F1 movie starring Brad Pitt.
Stefano Domenicali, the CEO of F1, told THR last year that the circuit had been “a little bit arrogant” in its approach to the U.S. in the past, but that “the strategy,” he added, “has completely changed.”
“We need to speak differently,” Domenicali said as he described the company’s efforts, “because we need to simplify the selling of this product for new fans that are not really into it to understand who we are. What is the competition around? What are the vibes that we are creating around it?”
Cadillac F1 is seen as a major step in that direction.
Livery reveals are a big deal for F1 teams, where the car is the focal point, underscoring how the team is approaching its own reveal.
Apple, meanwhile, has bet big on F1 in its bid to become the exclusive home for races in the U.S. All F1 content, including live races, will be available to Apple TV subscribers, with select races and practice rounds streaming for free.
While the Super Bowl ad is for Cadillac F1, Apple is poised to be just as big a beneficiary, if viewers are enticed to check it out. Apple and Cadillac F1 will promote the ad, which is directed by Sam Pilling and features a score composed by Oscar nominee Max Richter, after it runs, and photos of the new livery will be shot on iPhones from Bahrain, where it will make its on-track debut next week.
