Hollywood director Michael Bay has filed a lawsuit against Cadillac Formula One, accusing the team of breach of contract and fraud over a Super Bowl commercial used to launch its new Formula One livery.
The legal action was confirmed on Monday by Cadillac F1 chief executive Dan Towriss, who said he hoped the dispute could be resolved amicably. The advert aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl and revealed the black-and-white livery of the car that will be raced by Formula One’s 11th and newest team, backed by General Motors.
According to reports by The Athletic and Rolling Stone, Bay is seeking $1.5 million in damages, alleging that Cadillac F1 and Towriss used his creative ideas without payment. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles on Friday, after material linked to the advert was released online ahead of the Super Bowl broadcast.
Bay is best known for directing blockbuster films such as Transformers and Armageddon. Rolling Stone reported that the director decided to pursue legal action after promotional material related to the commercial appeared online before its official launch.
“We have a lot of respect for Michael,” Towriss told reporters during a video call on Monday. “I think it’s disappointing that he chose to do that. All of the creative work was done well in advance of ever speaking with him. We were looking to talk to him about a role as director, not to take creative ideas from him.”
Towriss added that the team was confident the matter would be settled without a prolonged court battle. Speaking from New York, he described the Super Bowl launch as a “huge success.”
He also confirmed that the cost of the advert was comparable to the roughly $10 million that China’s Dreame Technology said it paid for a 30-second Super Bowl commercial promoting its planned electric luxury car.
The Cadillac advert referenced a 1961 speech by late U.S. President John F. Kennedy announcing the goal of landing an American on the moon by the end of that decade. Towriss said the historical reference was intended to underline the ambition behind the new Formula One project.
“We wanted the car to be the star of the show,” he said. “The JFK moment was very unifying and captured the emotion behind this team, that sense of unbridled determination to win and compete.”
Towriss added that Formula One teams are increasingly competing not only with each other, but with other major sports for global attention, making storytelling and innovation essential to attracting fans.
The lawsuit adds a legal wrinkle to what Cadillac F1 has billed as a high-profile entry into the sport ahead of the 2026 Formula One season.