When the world tuned into Super Bowl Sunday and the Halftime spectacle, Formula 1 stole a moment in the spotlight – and now, a Hollywood director wants answers
On February 8, the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29–13 at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, sealing the franchise’s second title in front of one of the largest live audiences in global sport.
As ever, the game’s commercial theatre ran in parallel to the action on the field, with brands using the broadcast to launch major campaigns. One of the standout motorsport plays came from the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, which used a national TV spot to unveil the livery of its first Formula 1 challenger ahead of its debut season in 2026.
However, the much-anticipated launch has been overshadowed by a pending lawsuit in Los Angeles, filed by Hollywood film director Michael Bay. According to a report from Rolling Stone, Bay is seeking at least $1.5m in damages, alleging breach of contract and fraud connected to the development of the advertisement, naming the Cadillac Formula 1 Team and chief executive Dan Towriss as defendants.
Court documents have not yet been made publicly available.
In a statement on X, the Cadillac Formula 1 Team said the organisation had spoken with Bay about potentially directing the Super Bowl advertisement but insisted no agreement had been reached.
“Michael Bay is a cinematic genius and we talked with him about directing our Super Bowl ad,” the statement said. “But after two meetings, it became clear he couldn’t meet our timeline, and there ultimately wasn’t a path forward. It’s unclear why he’s bringing this claim, since the concept and creative were already developed and we were only exploring him as a director.”
The team added that it was “confident this will be resolved appropriately”, while reiterating its admiration for Bay’s work and openness to future collaboration.
Super Bowl reveal marks commercial statement
The Super Bowl commercial formed the centrepiece of Cadillac’s livery launch strategy, introducing the American-backed team to a global audience estimated at more than 130 million viewers. The white-and-black asymmetric design was later showcased through a physical reveal of a replica car in Times Square.
The livery reveal film was directed by Sam Piling and scored by composer Max Richter, with Cadillac positioning the campaign as a statement of intent ahead of its entry as Formula 1’s 11th team. Speaking at the launch, Towriss described the decision to debut the livery during the Super Bowl as a deliberate move to connect motorsport with wider popular culture.
“Choosing to reveal our first race livery during the Super Bowl and in the heart of Times Square is a way to introduce our identity to the world at the intersection of performance, culture, and entertainment,” he said.
Legal uncertainty alongside on-track ambitions
While the commercial rollout has been closely choreographed, the emergence of the lawsuit introduces an element of legal uncertainty at a formative moment for the team, which is backed by TWG Motorsports and General Motors and set to compete across a 24-race calendar in 2026.
According to Rolling Stone, Bay’s 19-page complaint alleges that Towriss contacted him directly in late November 2025 to develop and direct a Super Bowl commercial introducing the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, describing the brief as a search for “the most American director” available.
Bay claims he agreed to the project on an accelerated timeline, placing other film commitments on hold to meet the NFL’s Super Bowl submission deadline.
The lawsuit alleges that Bay and his team spent hundreds of hours developing creative concepts, visual references, and production plans, including discussions around colour palettes, lighting effects, and cinematic techniques drawn from his previous work. Bay claims he was subsequently informed that the project would “go in a different direction”, before later discovering that elements he had proposed appeared in promotional materials linked to Cadillac’s Super Bowl campaign.
Bay is seeking at least $1.5m in damages, alleging breach of verbal contract, breach of implied-in-fact contract and fraud. He claims the defendants agreed to pay his standard director and producer fees for the work undertaken, and is also seeking punitive damages.
The F1 season gets underway in Melbourne this year, with the first race taking place on March 8. On track, Checo Pérez and Valtteri Bottas will lead the team as its first Grand Prix drivers.
The pair, who hail from Guadalajara, Mexico, and Nastola, Finland, respectively, boast 526 starts, 106 podium finishes, and 16 victories, making them one of the most experienced driver pairings on the grid.
The 2026 driver lineup also includes former Ferrari and Sauber driver, Zhou Guanyu, who will serve as Reserve Driver, and nine-time NNT INDYCAR SERIES race winner Colton Herta, who will be the team’s Test Driver.
