US car company General Motors has been formally approved as a Formula 1 engine supplier for the 2029 season.
The development, announced jointly by governing body the FIA and General Motors, is the first time a specific year has been put on the debut of GM’s engine.
The entry of GM’s new team, which will race under its luxury Cadillac brand, was approved last month.
Cadillac will make its debut as a team next year, and will use Ferrari engines until GM’s own engine is ready.
The GM entry was initially rejected by commercial rights holder F1 at the start of 2024, after being approved by the FIA.
F1 approved it after the project was reconstituted as an official Cadillac entry, rather than by the US-based Andretti racing organisation with GM financial backing.
GM has set up a new engine company to design and build its new power-unit.
A spokesperson for GM confirmed to BBC Sport that the manufacturer was committed to having an F1 engine “ready by (the) end of the decade”.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “Although the process was at times challenging, the progress we see today affirms the journey has been worthwhile.
“Welcoming GM Performance Power Units LLC. as an approved power unit supplier for the championship starting in 2029 marks another step in the global expansion of Formula 1 and highlights the growing interest from world-class automotive manufacturers like General Motors.”
Under current F1 rules, the 2029 season will run to the new engine regulations that are being introduced for next year and are set to run until the end of 2030.
These use a revised version of the 1.6-litre turbo hybrid engines employed by F1 since 2014, but simplified in their technology while increasing the proportion of power provided by the electrical part of the engine to about 50% from the 20% currently.
F1 engine companies two weeks ago rejected a proposal by Ben Sulayem to introduce V10 naturally aspirated engines before the end of the next rules cycle.
The meeting agreed to keep talking about the future of F1 engines with the prospect that the rules may be revised before 2031.
This could mean a simpler, cheaper engine of a different layout, for example a V8, could be introduced as early as 2029.
Discussions as to what that may look like are at an early stage, including such considerations as to whether the engines would continue to be turbocharged.
However, the manufacturers committed to hybrid as a part of engine technology in F1 in the future.
