Perez rolls out Cadillac’s 2026 F1 car at a frosty Silverstone shakedown: “Fired up for more”
Silverstone in January is no place for the sentimental, but even the hardiest mechanics paused when the all-black Cadillac eased down the pit lane and Sergio Perez cracked open its first laps. New team. New era. And a first taste of 2026.
The American outfit quietly completed its maiden shakedown at the British GP venue, with Perez handling initial mileage while Valtteri Bottas looked on from the garage. The car is yet to carry an official name, or reveal much in the way of aero detail, but its stealth livery did the talking: this was about systems, plumbing, and getting a brand-new operation moving in rhythm.
“Today was really an amazing day,” Perez said after climbing out. “Everyone should feel incredibly proud to complete our first laps as a team. It was emotional to be part of motorsport history. We can, and should, enjoy it—but it’s absolutely fired me up for more. I just want to get back in and get mileage. This is just the start.”
Bottas, newly paired with Perez for Cadillac’s debut campaign, watched his teammate tick off the first checks. “As a team we made history today with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team car taking to the track for the first time,” he said. “Checo put in the first laps with the car running smoothly. I’m proud of the whole team for getting to this point. 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.”
This was Cadillac’s first run with its own 2026-spec chassis after a toe-in-the-water exercise at Imola last November, when Perez sampled a 2023 car supplied by engine partner Ferrari. Friday’s outing was the real marker: the first black-ops laps of Cadillac’s F1 project.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon—tasked with welding a brand-new group into a functioning race team—called it the product of “countless hours of hard work, commitment and belief.”
“It shows the progress we’re continuing to make in a short space of time,” Lowdon said. “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.”
Dan Towriss, CEO of Cadillac Formula 1 Team Holdings, framed Silverstone as a line in the sand. “Watching the car roll out of the garage is a moment of pride,” he said. “The first laps on track mark a historic milestone; the culmination of thousands of hours of work, driven by pure passion. This is just the beginning, as our work continues at pace towards Melbourne and beyond.”
The team’s launch-phase look is a predominantly black test livery, complete with a bold Cadillac crest on the engine cover and a neat touch: the names of team staff ghosted into the design. Expect the full race livery to break cover in style: Cadillac plans to unveil it via a Super Bowl ad on February 8.
Before that, there’s work to do. The first pre-season test for 2026 runs behind closed doors in Barcelona from January 26-30, with each team restricted to three days of mileage. Bahrain follows with two more tests, February 11-13 and 18-20. If you’re keeping tabs, Cadillac isn’t alone in starting early—Audi’s rebadged operation reportedly ran its R26 chassis in Barcelona on January 9.
What did we learn from Silverstone? Not much in the numbers, by design. Shakedowns are about firing up, leak-checks, software sync, harvesting data and gremlins, then sending everyone back to the factory with a long list. But if you’re Perez—six-time grand prix winner and no stranger to heavy-lifting for a new car—you know what a clean first day is worth when the timetable is this compressed.
The bigger picture? 2026’s ruleset will force every team to rethink packaging and efficiency around a more electrified power unit and different aero balance. Cadillac’s decision to keep its first chassis under a matte cloak is standard practice, and entirely sensible. The real tells start in Spain when the laps rack up and the team choreography gets tighter.
For now, Cadillac has a line in the logbook—and two veterans itching for more. Perez set it rolling. Bottas is on deck. And an empty Silverstone, briefly, sounded like the start of something.
