Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss optimistic about resolving Michael Bay lawsuit
The Cadillac Formula 1 team is optimistic about resolving a conflict with filmmaker Michael Bay following the filing of a $1.5 million civil lawsuit concerning the team’s Super Bowl advertisement.
As reported by Rolling Stone and The Athletic, a 19-page lawsuit was submitted in Los Angeles on Friday, claiming that the Cadillac F1 team and its CEO Dan Towriss “have seemingly appropriated Bay’s concepts and work for the advertisement, without compensating him.”
The lawsuit asserts that Towriss approached Bay, known for directing Armageddon and Transformers, to collaborate on the project in November 2025. It seeks damages exceeding $1.5 million, alleging that Bay and his team were “working almost continuously” until “Towriss suddenly opted to ‘go in a different direction’ and engage another party to finalize the project.”
The advertisement was broadcast during the final quarter of the Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 win over the New England Patriots and was utilized to unveil Cadillac’s livery for its inaugural season in F1.
During an online press conference the next day, Towriss stated that the creative concepts featured in the completed advertisement were discussed prior to any engagement with Bay.
“Our response is that we hold Michael in high regard,” Towriss remarked. “It is certainly disappointing that he chose to pursue this. All of the creative work was completed well before we ever communicated with him.”
“Our intention was to discuss a potential role for him as director, not to appropriate his creative ideas, and I believe the team, Translation, that we collaborated with did an outstanding job in developing everything.”
“We are confident that this will be resolved amicably, but from our perspective, last night was a significant success and we take great pride in the work that was accomplished, and that is all I can comment on.”
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The advertisement included a speech by John F. Kennedy from 1962, in which the former President pledged that the United States would land a man on the moon before 1970.
Towriss indicated that the primary objective was to highlight the car while drawing comparisons between the challenges faced by Cadillac in entering F1 and those encountered by NASA during the Apollo missions of the 1960s.
“As we conceptualized the Super Bowl advertisement, one of the early conclusions was that the car needed to be the focal point,” he continued. “In many Super Bowl ads, you will see celebrity appearances and various elements that create an engaging spot, but this one was centered on the car; it was a livery reveal rather than an F1 promotional video or something similar.”
“We aimed for the car to take center stage, and I believe the JFK segment provided a unifying moment that encapsulated much of the passion that drives this team, embodying an unwavering determination to succeed and compete.”
Source: espn.com
