Cadillac F1 names Jim Beam as official spirits partner in multi-year deal

Cadillac’s new Formula 1 team on Wednesday announced a multi-year partnership with Jim Beam, naming the American bourbon distiller its official spirits partner as the team prepares to join the global grid in 2026.

The deal will place Jim Beam branding on and off the Cadillac car throughout the F1 season and builds on earlier commercial agreements for the team, including a June announcement that Tommy Hilfiger will be its official apparel partner. "This partnership brings together two icons of American heritage to create something truly special," Dan Towriss, chief executive officer of TWG Motorsports, the ownership group behind Cadillac F1, said in a statement. "Formula 1 is a global stage, and we want to take our fans on this journey with us every step of the way."

Jim Beam said the partnership reflects parallels it sees between motorsport and distilling, where coordinated teams and processes produce consistent outcomes. "Both car racing and making Jim Beam bourbon require every individual and moving part to come together to create a positive collective outcome," Rashidi Hodari, managing director at James B. Beam Distilling Co., said in the company statement. Jim Beam described the arrangement as its first move into the Formula 1 space.

The Cadillac program, owned by TWG Motorsports, has announced Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as its debut drivers. American open-wheel racer Colton Herta, a California native, has left IndyCar to serve as Cadillac’s test driver while pursuing the super license required to compete in Formula 1.

The partnership continues a long cultural connection between Jim Beam and Cadillac. The distillery noted that Fred Noe, Jim Beam’s seventh-generation master distiller, still drives a Cadillac as a tribute to the car that once helped preserve his family legacy. Jim Beam also highlighted its broader sports sponsorship portfolio, which includes agreements with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Dodgers — the latter owned by the same group that owns Cadillac F1 — as well as relationships with the United States Soccer Federation, the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR and Dick Johnson Racing of Australian Supercars.

Cadillac and its ownership group have sought partnerships that emphasize American brands as the team builds a commercial and cultural identity ahead of its first season. Formula 1 remains predominantly populated by European-based teams; Cadillac’s commercial strategy underscores an effort to present a distinctly American team on the global stage.

The announcement adds to an expanding list of corporate deals around the new entry as it readies preparations for the 2026 season. Team officials said the multi-year pact with Jim Beam will support fan engagement and branding activations that reach beyond race weekends and into wider motorsport and lifestyle programming.

The agreement was announced Sept. 17, 2025.