The new Cadillac team have launched a unique split livery in an advert costing a reputed £7.3m that was broadcast during the Super Bowl.
Cadillac Formula 1 chief executive officer Dan Towriss said the launch, which also included a model of the team's car being unveiled in New York's Times Square, was a "tremendous event for us" and a "momentous day".
The livery is white on black on one side of the car and black on white on the other, a design decision that has raised eyebrows among other teams because F1 rules dictate car colour schemes should look "substantially similar on both sides".
A spokesperson said team principal Graeme Lowdon and team manager Pete Crolla had sought clarification from governing body the FIA and had "indicated this design was within the rules as long as the design and branding was similar from both sides, which we are comfortable and confident it is".
The British American Racing (BAR) team fell foul of this area of the rulebook in their debut season in 1999, when they tried to run their cars in two different cigarette liveries.
After an intervention by then FIA president Max Mosley, a compromise was reached whereby the cars ran in identical split liveries. The current rules language dates from that dispute.
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Cadillac's entry is the first time US car giant General Motors, their parent company, has competed in F1.
Towriss said Cadillac were trying to make a statement as they took their first steps in F1.
"You can say we're competing against the other teams, but really Formula 1 is competing against other sports," he said.
"You're competing against the Super Bowl. You're competing against what's going on in stick and ball sports, Premier League soccer, all the things that are happening at the Olympics. There's the Fifa World Cup this year. So there's a lot going on.
"And so I think as teams we need to continue to find innovative ways to draw that interest, do storytelling and reach out to fans."
Both Towriss and Lowdon have emphasised that Cadillac face an uphill struggle in F1 this year.
Towriss said: "We're a brand new team. So we're going to have have triumphant days and we're going to have some carnage along the way as well. There's just a lot to learn in this first year."
He said the team have not set themselves a specific performance target for the season.
"For me, points would be kind of an arbitrary target," said Towriss. "I think I want to look at beating teams, beating cars on track, and how many cars can we pass in year one in moving up the grid.
"And so I think that's really how we're thinking about it. And then, secondly, it's going to be the rate of development on this car as well. We obviously have a long-term outlook for the team."
Cadillac meanwhile have confirmed the accuracy of a Rolling Stone report, external that they are being sued by Hollywood film director Michael Bay, who claims the team stole his ideas for the advert having approached him for input and then ended contact with him.
Towriss said Bay's actions were "disappointing", adding "all of the creative [work] was done well in advance of ever speaking with him", and he was "confident it'll be resolved amicably".
Bay directed films The Rock, Pearl Harbor and Armageddon.
A Cadillac F1 spokesperson said: "Michael Bay is a cinematic genius and we talked with him about directing our Super Bowl ad. 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.
"It's also unusual to raise this now, given the ad hasn't even been released. We're confident this will be resolved appropriately. Even so, we still admire Michael Bay's creative brilliance and would welcome the opportunity to work together in the future."