When 3M decided to enter Formula 1 for the first time, it chose a team that has been competing for less than a year.
That decision tells its own story about how Cadillac is positioning itself in the F1 commercial market.
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team has announced that 3M has joined as its Official Material Science Partner in a multi-year global agreement.
The initial collaboration will centre on lightweight materials, bonding and surface preparation, manufacturing optimisation, laboratory testing and trackside support – with chassis development and advanced materials research identified as longer-term areas of focus.
“It’s their first entry into the sport, which certainly we believe in the value of F1 and we very much believe in the value of Cadillac F1. We feel a great responsibility when new partners come into the sport,” Tyler Epp, Cadillac’s Global Head of Commercial Strategy told Sector.
“I think it’s also a distinctly proud American company. As we continue to build our own brand, the association with companies of 3M’s ilk is important to us.”
The team has been deliberate about building its commercial reputation gradually, and Epp said 3M’s decision to commit represented meaningful external validation of that approach, one that has been pursued regardless of what has been happening on track.
“We’ve certainly had our good days and our bad days as is evidenced by the sport on the racetrack, but we’ve tried to have a continuous build regardless,” he said.
“When you have a company like 3M say ‘yes, we want to be a part of that’, it does make us feel like we’re going in the right direction.
“While we still have a long way to go to get to our goals, we certainly feel like we’re going in the right direction here on and off the racetrack.”
Technical staff from both organisations were involved in shaping the partnership from the outset, with Cadillac’s Technical Director Nick Chester and his engineering team part of the process before any commercial agreement was in place.
When you have a company like 3M say ‘yes, we want to be a part of that’, it does make us feel like we’re going in the right direction.
Tyler Epp
“The contribution that the technical team has made to this process is significant,” explained Epp.
“The concept around potential integrations and how they can actually contribute to making the car go fast have been considered in this partnership.
“We’ve been very clear on the record that we want to continue to improve performance and 3M is along with us on that.”
For 3M, the partnership offers a high-speed environment to validate technologies and accelerate product development.
The company brings more than a century of automotive experience and a technology portfolio already embedded in vehicles globally.
“At 3M, we apply science and manufacturing expertise to help solve complex challenges,” said William Brown, 3M chairman and CEO.
“This partnership demonstrates how 3M technologies can drive results in a highly demanding environment by advancing speed, efficiency and performance.”
Excel Sports Management, appointed as Cadillac’s exclusive agency of record in April, played a significant role in bringing the 3M partnership together.
Although Epp tols Sector how Excel had already been involved in discussions before formally entering into the agreement with Cadillac.
“Ironically, they were involved in this one from the very beginning,” he said.
“Even prior to our engagement, they had had some involvement in this particular partnership and sales process Huge credit to Emilio and Jason and John. They’ve been a real force for us.”
Further announcements facilitated by Excel are expected in the coming months and ,when asked how far the commercial programme has progressed six months into the team’s first season, Epp was open about the journey so far.
“There are things I would like to have done slightly differently here and there,” he said.
“But given the tight timeframe, the expectations, the opportunity to represent an iconic American brand in Cadillac, I think all in all we’re very proud of where we’ve come from launch all the way to where we are today.
“I think we’ve made great progress and the way that we’re telling our story and how we’re representing ourselves in the marketplace has significantly evolved.
“The way that shows up is two ways – it’s the type of partners that we bring in and the type of partners who will invest with us, and the true measurable fan base that we’re building..
Cadillac has gone about things differently since entering the sport this year, opting against a title partner and launching its car via a Super Bowl half-time commercial.
Epp revealed that, commercially at least, most eyes are now on next season.
“Almost all of our conversations starting really about 30 days ago were really focused on 2027, not so much on 2026,” he said.
“It’s nice to think about getting ahead just a little bit. I think from the beginning we felt like we were coming from behind on the commercial side.”
Leaning into Cadillac and General Motors’ American heritage, the two remaining US-based grand prix in Austin and Las Vegas are likely to see the team make use of another couple of “home” races.
“You will definitely see us in both Austin and Las Vegas. We will show up in a significant way in both of those places,” he said. “
It does give us an opportunity, especially as they fall later in the year, to tie 2026 programmes into launches in 2027 and tie that together well in the fall.”
