Cadillac put their first Formula 1 car on track at Silverstone on Friday, with reserve driver Zhou Guanyu behind the wheel. The team shared footage of the run on social media.
Back in November, Sergio Perez drove a 2023 Ferrari at Imola with Cadillac staff present, but this was the first outing for their own car ahead of the new season.
They are the first team to run the new Ferrari engine ahead of pre-season testing in Barcelona.
The car was running a plain black livery except for a Cadillac badge. The full design is set to be revealed during a Super Bowl advert next week.
Cadillac Hit a Few Snags During Silverstone Run
Much like Audi’s approach the week before, Cadillac kept their test under tight wraps. The team even went as far as covering phone cameras with stickers to prevent any unauthorised photos.
Only the team’s filming crew were allowed to take any shots of the car. They want to keep their design choices under wraps for as long as possible.
Even so, Motorsport.com managed to learn a few things about the session. Apparently, Cadillac had some early issues and only got their engine started later in the morning.
The track was still damp by the time Perez headed out, which isn’t ideal for gathering data. But in a shakedown limited to 200km, it’s more about getting everything working than setting fast times.
Reporting from Silverstone, journalist Jorge Peiro said they were ‘still trying to get out on track’ as late as 3pm, just an hour and 25 minutes before sunset. This matches up with the fading light seen in Cadillac’s social media clip.
Ferrari’s 2026 Engine Splits Opinion Among Customer Teams
Perez, who has joined Cadillac for the new season, was also present for what was technically a filming day.
Cadillac advisor Mario Andretti has recently said he’s fully confident in the Ferrari engine. But it’s unclear if the problems on Friday had anything to do with the Italian manufacturer’s power unit.
Just a few hours later, Ferrari posted a video on social media of the SF-26 being fired up for the first time.
Cadillac aren’t Ferrari’s only customer. Haas have voiced doubts about whether they’ve made the right choice, with Ayao Komatsu believing Mercedes will have more horsepower and admitting he isn’t sure how well their engine will perform.
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