The Cadillac System 1 group took to the Silverstone circuit to shakedown its 2026 automobile for the primary time on Friday.
Cadillac will be a part of the F1 grid as its eleventh group in 2026, and forward of its debut accomplished a filming day on the British Grand Prix monitor with Mexican driver Sergio Perez on the wheel.
Perez was joined by team-mate Valtteri Bottas and reserve driver Zhou Guanyu to hold out the shakedown of the American group’s single-seater. Cadillac shared a clip of its first F1 racer working on monitor, which additionally supplied a preview of the engine notice of its Ferrari energy unit.
As well as, Zhou additionally uploaded a video exhibiting himself sporting the Cadillac group package, whereas obscuring any picture of the automobile, which will be revealed in a Super Bowl advert next month forward of the primary of F1’s two Bahrain take a look at classes.
Cadillac reportedly positioned stickers over the telephone cameras of anybody who may leak photographs of the automobile – with exceptions made for the group’s personal filming crew. Nevertheless, some long-distance photographs of the automobile within the Silverstone garages have already appeared on social media.
In addition to points with prying eyes across the Northamptonshire monitor, Cadillac additionally reportedly skilled difficulties working within the morning. Nevertheless, it later managed to fireplace up the engine and commenced lapping that was made tougher by the climate at Silverstone.
Perez known as the shakedown an emotional second for him and the group which has “fired me up for extra”.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac
Picture by: Cadillac Communications
“Immediately was actually an incredible day. Everybody ought to really feel extremely proud to finish our first laps as a group,” he stated.
“Every individual has labored so laborious to get to this second and it was emotional to be a part of motorsport historical past. We are able to, and may, all get pleasure from, but it surely’s completely fired me up for extra. I simply need to get again in and get mileage – that is simply the beginning.”
Earlier this week the six-time grand prix winner travelled to the group’s base to handle technical facets of the automobile this week earlier than its first outing. Crew-mate Bottas additionally shared on social media that he had been on the group’s base for a seat match this week.
Cadillac’s on-track debut follows the same shakedown occasion for Audi, which has taken over the Sauber group for 2026. The team hosted a filming day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya final week.
In checks equivalent to this, groups are permitted to run as much as 200km and should use completely different tyre compounds from Pirelli in contrast with the rubber that shall be obtainable on the pre-season checks and in the course of the F1 season.
Dan Towriss, Cadillac F1 group CEO, stated: “Immediately’s shakedown is a major step for the Cadillac System 1 Crew. Watching the automobile roll out of the storage is a second of pleasure.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac
Picture by: Cadillac Communications
“The primary laps on monitor mark a historic milestone; the end result of 1000’s of hours of labor, pushed by pure ardour. Graeme [Lowdon] has achieved an excellent job of assembling a group of absolute racers which have given the whole lot to get to this second.
“That is just the start, as our work continues at tempo in the direction of Melbourne and past.”
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