Cadillac had its first official outing of F1 2026 with a shakedown at Silverstone – near its UK base – as Ferrari power unit had its first running too.
After Audi started its journey with a shakedown in Barcelona last week, Cadillac had its first official track run with a shakedown at Silverstone on Friday. The American team made its F1 debut as a team for the first time with their own car to start its journey in 2026.
Previously, Cadillac loaned a car from Ferrari to complete a test run with Sergio Perez to get the team personnel in harmony and tick all the boxes of having completed a track run. They have been simulating races at their bases in the last few rounds of F1 2025, to feel at home with the rivals.
Perez was once again on duty of driving the base 2026 car from Cadillac, with improvements surely to come at Barcelona, Bahrain and eventually at the first race. They ran a plain carbon livery for shakedown and promotional footage. Earlier they revealed a Barcelona-spec livery, with full launch set for February 8.
This was also the first track run of the Ferrari power unit. With General Motors still in the development stage of its own hybrid power unit, Cadillac inked a deal with the Italian manufacturer to use their power unit for few seasons, before switching to General Motors to become a factory entity.
“Today’s shakedown is a significant step for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team,” said Dan Towriss. “Watching the car roll out of the garage is a moment of pride. The first laps on track mark a historic milestone; the culmination of thousands of hours of work, driven by pure passion.
“Graeme has done an outstanding job of assembling a team of absolute racers that have given everything to get to this moment. This is just the beginning, as our work continues at pace towards Melbourne and beyond.”
Team boss Graeme Lowdon added: “Today represents countless hours of hard work, commitment and belief from everyone involved in the team. It shows the progress we’re continuing to make in a short space of time.
“It’s been a great opportunity for the team to gel in a live garage environment, verify car systems and resolve any initial issues. But it’s just the beginning of the road; we now turn our attention to pre-season testing in just a few weeks’ time, which will provide even more opportunity to learn.”
On the driver side, Perez said: “Today was really an amazing day. Everyone should feel incredibly proud to complete our first laps as a team. Each and every person has worked so hard to get to this moment and it was emotional to be part of motorsport history. We can, and should, all enjoy, but it’s absolutely fired me up for more. I just want to get back in and get mileage – this is just the start.”
And Bottas added: “As a team we made history today with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team car taking to the track for the first time. Checo put in the first laps with the car running smoothly. I’m proud of the whole team for getting to this point, which is really impressive. It was special to be part of this moment and witness the joy from the team. Our first day is done and now we push on.”
Here’s video: https://x.com/Cadillac_F1/status/2012200886395720082?s=20
https://x.com/Cadillac_F1/status/2012271216636154079?s=20
Ferrari’s fire-up: https://x.com/ScuderiaFerrari/status/2012229030838231277?s=20
16.02.2026. Formula 1, Cadillac Formula 1 Team Car Filming Day, Silverstone, England, Friday.
16.02.2026. Formula 1, Cadillac Formula 1 Team Car Filming Day, Silverstone, England, Friday.
16.02.2026. Formula 1, Cadillac Formula 1 Team Car Filming Day, Silverstone, England, Friday.
Here’s Barcelona livery of Cadillac