Ferrari hands Cadillac two TPC days as Perez preps Imola run: “The car isn’t the issue,” says Vasseur
Ferrari has thrown its weight behind Cadillac’s F1 build-up, handing over two testing-of-previous-cars days to the incoming team as it readies for life on the grid. Sergio Perez will climb into a 2023 Ferrari at Imola in the coming weeks to bank precious mileage before Cadillac’s full programme starts in January.
Team boss Fred Vasseur, spotted in Baku with a Cadillac patch on his team kit, confirmed the arrangement in the paddock. “We gave two of our TPC test days to Cadillac,” he said, adding a dose of reality to the romance of a major manufacturer arriving in Formula 1. “I think the challenge for them is huge… Strangely, it’s more the logistics — the garage setup, infrastructure, IT systems. It’s a good test for them to put everything in place.”
Cadillac will be Ferrari-powered for its first two seasons on the grid, before bringing its own power unit online in 2028. The American marque has been quietly constructing its race-weekend muscle away from TV cameras, recently running a full live simulation of the Italian Grand Prix — pit wall to garage — to stress-test procedures long before the first actual installation lap.
The on-track reality, though, is that time is short. As the 2025 season winds down, Cadillac won’t touch its own new car until the new year. That’s where Perez comes in. Benched this season, the Mexican has been blunt about what the body needs before racing returns to muscle memory. “As much as I train, I need time, kilometres in the car,” he said. “They’re very specific exercises and muscles that you train in the car. I’m going to have two days in Imola, which will help me a lot.”
It’s exactly the kind of low-glamour, high-value running expansion teams need — not for lap times, but for the humans. Mechanics, engineers, systems, radio discipline. Perez again: “We’ll be able to work with the mechanics and engineers to have the whole team ready for the testing program that begins in January — very early in the year — where we’ll already be at 100 percent.”
Valtteri Bottas, Perez’s confirmed teammate for 2026, has already been dusting off the cobwebs himself, logging 112 laps in a Pirelli tyre test with Mercedes in Mexico City this week. More running for the Finn before year-end remains TBC, but the intent is clear: get both drivers sharp and keep the stopwatch worries for later.
Vasseur’s line about the car “not being the issue” is telling. In F1, the shiny new chassis tends to hog the headlines. The reality for a startup is that your first podium is a garage that works. Freight that leaves on time. IT that doesn’t blink when you plug in. A car you can strip and rebuild on a Thursday night without inventing new swear words. That’s the fight Cadillac has chosen, and why borrowing Ferrari’s TPC days makes sense. It’s dry, careful preparation — the exact opposite of a launch video — and it’s how you become functional on day one.
The Ferrari-Cadillac relationship is a pragmatic bridge, too. Powering an 11th team buys Maranello data, influence and a stake in how this new operation grows; for Cadillac, it’s a safe pair of hands before the 2028 power unit arrives. Everyone wins if this is seamless.
Perez’s Imola outing, in a 2023-spec Ferrari, won’t answer any 2026 aero questions — different regs, different game. What it will do is give a returning race-winner reference points and reps, plus a chance for Cadillac’s technical and sporting crews to work in anger, even if under Ferrari’s umbrella. Expect plenty of procedural drilling: pit entry practice, grid formation runs, start maps, full systems checks. If it looks boring, it’s because they’re doing it right.
There’s a hum of optimism around the project, but no shortcuts. January is closer than it looks, and the school of hard knocks tends to greet newcomers at the shakedown. Vasseur’s warning shot about logistics is as much advice as it is analysis.
Cadillac’s first true reveal will come when the covers lift on its 2026 challenger. Until then, these TPC days and behind-the-scenes simulations are the campaign. Quiet miles. Clean pit stops. No drama. If the headlines are dull between now and winter testing, they’ll take it — that’s how you build an F1 team that actually works on a Friday.
