Cadillac pass FIA test ahead of 2026 entry

Cadillac F1

Cadillac pass FIA test ahead of 2026 entry

Cadillac are ready for their 2026 debut

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 18 December 2025 20:51

New F1 team Cadillac passed a key FIA test earlier this month, representing a huge moment for the American outfit.

Cadillac are set to join the F1 grid in 2026, becoming the first new team to enter F1 since Haas back in 2016.

To begin with, Cadillac will be using Ferrari power units for their first two seasons, before their partnership with General Motors begins in 2028, when we are likely to see the full potential of the team's entry.

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That means that for the past few years, Cadillac's design team have been able to solely focus on the design of their first F1 car, which will be driven by 10-time grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

Earlier this month, Cadillac successfully cleared mandatory FIA homologation tests which checks that the car design that had been brought to life from paper drawings and simulator work can actually operate on an F1 track.

The test checks the survival cell and the entire rear structure, and all teams are subject to it whenever a new car design enters the grid.

But, for Cadillac, it was a meaningful moment having started their car designs from scratch a couple of years ago, and team principal Graeme Lowdon said in quotes reported by The Race: "Passing those tests by December was something I think the design group within the Cadillac Formula 1 team can be really proud of.

"If we look at the design challenges in the new formula, with the weight of the car significantly reduced, these tests become effectively more and more stringent in comparison, because you're targeting a lower overall car mass.

"So for any team to pass them, I think it's a milestone. For us, it's more so because we haven't got years and years and years of team-based experience of designing these components."

Where will Cadillac be in F1 order?

Lowdon has previously admitted that he expects his new team to be running last in the F1 order in 2026, despite having two highly experienced racers in Bottas and Perez in his two seats.

The problem that Cadillac have compared to the other new name on the grid - Audi Revolut F1 team - is that Cadillac have had to start everything from scratch, and their entry was only actually confirmed just over a year ago.

Audi, meanwhile, have taken over an established F1 team in Sauber, and have kept some of the key parts of the former team, including the two drivers and team principal Jonathan Wheatley.

Where Cadillac will not have to worry, however, is with the power unit, with established supplier Ferrari set to provide them with engines, and they will bank on that being reliable.

On the other hand, Audi may have some teething issues early on, with the German manufacturer also become an engine supplier immediately upon entry.

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