MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — It was less than 14 months ago that Cadillac’s frustrating push to enter Formula 1 finally came to an end and the team was approved to compete in the global motorsports series.
The team has completed three races already but its biggest debut comes this weekend, on American soil, at the Miami Grand Prix. Cadillac F1 markets itself as the only true American team in the European-dominated series — Haas F1 is owned by California businessman Gene Haas — and represents the American dream.
The effort to enter F1 began with Michael Andretti, son of motorsports' most famous naturalized U.S. citizen, and its 2026 car is named after Mario Andretti. And for its first race in North America, Cadillac debuted a special livery presented by the team’s primary partner, TWG AI.
The design integrates a stars and stripes motif in Cadillac’s signature black and white color scheme, includes 50 stars on the front of the car and “USA” is emblazoned on the rear wing. There is also a splash of red inside the wheels to get red, white and blue on the car.
“Racing at home for the first time is a major milestone for this team and something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of the team and a part-time Fort Lauderdale resident. “There’s a lot of pride in representing the United States as the American team, especially in front of our home fans. We understand what that means and we’re focused on showing up and delivering for them.”
Colton Herta, who left the Andretti Global IndyCar team to race in F2 this season to earn the super license needed to compete in F1, is expected to eventually move into one of the Cadillac seats. The Californian was fastest in Friday’s practice for the junior series and the plan now would eventually make him the only American driver on the F1 grid.
An unexpected five-week layoff because of the war in Iran forced F1 to cancel two events scheduled in the Middle East, and Cadillac used that time to put together “a fairly substantial upgrade package” for Miami.
“It’s spread over different parts of the car so probably the main area is the floor, but there are also changes on front and rear brakes, front wing as well,” team principal Graeme Lowdon said. “It’s a mixture of aero and a bit of weight saving as well. It’s reasonably sizeable. We’ll be watching the performance of the upgrade with great interest because there’s an awful lot that we need to verify that other teams will be well down the route of doing.”
Most of the teams came to Miami with upgrades, but because Cadillac is so new, it might not have had the bandwidth to make so many changes if not for the break.
“I hope that we can make a bigger step than some other teams,” Bottas said. “Because we should be able to do that in theory from where we started. So that’s the goal. In the first three races I felt like every race was getting smoother and smoother, less and less issues.”
Lowdon, however, acknowledged that Cadillac is still in its teething phase as it competes against long tenured teams.
”We’re racing against teams that have done literally thousands of grand prixs,” Lowdon said. “If there is a thing such as team muscle memory how you operate, other teams have that advantage. Everything for us is new.”
That includes the attention the team is receiving.
Interest and popularity in Cadillac began even before one of its cars hit the track. Jim Campbell, vice president of performance and motorsports commercial operations, said General Motors CEO Mary Barra and President Mark Reuss will be in Miami all weekend, alongside dealers, customers and invited guests.
“It’s our fourth race, but it’s our first time to race our Cadillac F1 on American soil, it’s super special,” Campbell said. “We’ve been looking forward to this day. We have been here the last three years, really trying to learn about the F1 platform and so to be here now racing is super exciting, as opposed to being here observing.”
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Cadillac driver Sergio Perez, of Mexico, speaks during a news conference at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland gets pushed back into his garage during the first practice session ahead of the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland steers his car during the first practice session ahead of the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House asserted to Congress in a letter Friday that hostilities with Iran have “terminated” despite the continued presence of U.S. armed forces in the region.
The message from President Donald Trump effectively skirts a May 1 legal deadline to gain approval from members of Congress to continue the war with Iran. That deadline was already set to pass without action from Republican lawmakers who are deferring to the president.
The letter brings into stark relief the bold but legally questionable assertion of presidential power at the heart of Trump’s war, which he began without congressional approval two months ago.
“The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” Trump wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the Senate president pro tempore.
Yet he also made it clear in the letter that the war may be far from over.
“Despite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a lasting peace, the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our Armed Forces remains significant,” the Republican president said.
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days — Friday was the deadline — or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. This Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town Thursday for a week after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.
Some GOP senators are growing uneasy about the war’s timeline, which Trump initially said would last a few weeks. But Trump's letter showed how the president continues to forego congressional approval. It contends the deadlines set by the law do not apply because the war in Iran effectively ended when a shaky ceasefire began in early April.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday he did not plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in.
“I’m listening carefully to what the members of our conference are saying, and at this point I don’t see that,” Thune said.
The reluctance to defy Trump on the war comes at a politically perilous time for Republicans, with public frustration mounting both over the conflict and its impact on gas prices. Still, most GOP lawmakers say they are supportive of Trump’s wartime leadership or are at least willing to give him more time amid the fragile ceasefire.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said he would vote for an authorization of war if Trump asked for it. But Cramer questioned whether the resolution passed during the Vietnam War era, as a way for Congress to claw back its power, was constitutional.
“Our founders created a really strong executive, like it or not like it,” Cramer said.
Some GOP senators did make it clear that they eventually want Congress to have a say.
Indiana Sen. Todd Young said in a statement that lawmakers “must ensure that the people, through their elected representatives, weigh in on whether to send our military into combat.”
He added that since the Trump administration is stating that “the Iran conflict has ceased, there should be no hostilities moving forward,” and that if the conflict resumes, he expects the White House to work with Congress to pass an authorization for use of military force.
A handful of GOP senators have said for weeks that Congress should assert its authority over the war at some point. One of those, Maine's Susan Collins, voted for the first time with Democrats on Thursday to halt the war. She said in a statement that she wants to see a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close.
“The president’s authority as commander in chief is not without limits," Collins said, adding that the 60-day deadline is “not a suggestion, it is a requirement."
In addition to Collins and Young, Republican Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Josh Hawley of Missouri, among others, have said they would eventually like to see a vote.
Curtis said he would not support continued funding for the war until Congress votes to authorize it.
“It is time for decision-making from both the administration and from Congress — and that can happen in league with one another, not in conflict,” Curtis said.
Thune suggested the White House step up its outreach to lawmakers with briefings and hearings if it wants continued support from Capitol Hill.
“Obviously, getting readouts from our military leadership on a somewhat regular basis, I think, will be helpful in terms of shaping the views of our members about how comfortable they are with everything that’s happening there, and the direction headed forward,” Thune said.
With the 60-day window under the War Powers Resolution expiring Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a congressional hearing Thursday, “We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means, the 60-day clock pauses or stops.”
The administration is making that argument even though Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.
Trump on Friday echoed Hegseth’s argument, and stressed that other presidents had similarly not sought congressional approval as laid out under the 1973 law.
“Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that,” Trump said at the White House as he departed for Florida.
Democrats scoffed at the suggestion that May 1 was not the real deadline.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said on social media, “There’s no pause button in the Constitution, or the War Powers Act. We’re at war. We’ve been at war for 60 days. The blockade alone is a continuing act of war.”
The development came as little surprise to at least one House Democrat who oversees the military.
Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Associated Press: "Is the expectation that the Trump administration is going to follow the law? I do not have that expectation.”
President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters as he prepares to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he prepares to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump waves before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, left, and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appear before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
President Donald Trump clasps his hands on the Resolute Desk as he speaks before signing an executive order regarding retirement savings in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
From l-r., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Danial Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and acting undersecretary of defense during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Department of Defense budget, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
