Cadillac is preparing to fire up its first Formula 1 car before Christmas 2025, with its on-track debut scheduled for early January, ahead of the Barcelona testing sessions. The American manufacturer aims to make a strong entrance before the official pre-season tests.
The first tests for the new Formula 1 cars, built under the new regulations taking effect on January 1, 2026, are set from January 26 to 30 at the Montmelo circuit, just outside Barcelona. However, Cadillac plans to debut its car well before the Catalonia tests.
The goal is to launch the first Cadillac F1 car—powered by Ferrari engines—in the first two weeks of January. The engine fire-up, meanwhile, is planned before Christmas. The car will make use of the 200 kilometers allowed by sporting regulations for a filming day, which is typically used to record promotional material while also ensuring all systems function correctly.
“Everything is scheduled,” said Graeme Lowdon, Cadillac’s team principal. “We will fire up the engine for the first time in less than 50 days (counting from last weekend), and the car will make its on-track debut in January. After that, we will participate in the Barcelona tests.”
“In a project like ours, time is the enemy, because we know we have to race in Melbourne at the beginning of March 2026. This deadline cannot be extended. There are so many things to do. We announced our entry in March 2025, so the margin is really tight. Since then, we have had to design the car, build it, hire personnel, and construct the factories. In short, we have to do everything. It’s a real challenge.”
Lowdon’s team will start its Formula 1 journey at the same time the new technical regulations take effect. According to the team principal, this presents both advantages and disadvantages.
“The disadvantage is that when the rules are stable, you clearly know your goal. Today, for example, we know McLaren is competitive, as is Ferrari,” he explained. “But for 2026, nobody knows who will be fast. The downside is that you don’t have a clear reference point, but well, this is sport, and it’s what keeps fans interested.”
“The advantage for us is that with this major regulation change, all teams face a new challenge, including ours. No one knows where they will end up. If you ask any team principal, even they don’t know. That’s the exciting part: we don’t know where we’ll be.”
“Our challenge is bigger than others because we have to do much more in less time. Our staff has thousands of years of combined F1 experience, but less than a year working together as a team.”
“The first challenge will be to make the team operate smoothly. After that, regardless of where we start, the key will be how quickly we can improve. That will be our objective. Overall, I think entering during a regulation change is an advantage.”
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