Cadillac radiating positivity after F1 pre-season testing

Sergio Perez says there is a positive atmosphere at Cadillac at the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season as testing showed the team to be on the right track.

Cadillac has joined the grid as a new team as a new set of regulations are introduced, with significant changes to the power units and aerodynamics of this year’s cars. After being able to run its first car ahead of the Barcelona shakedown, and then completing just under 100 laps per day on average in the Bahrain tests, Perez is encouraged by the team’s start.

“I’ve really enjoyed this pre-season testing period,” Perez said. “The atmosphere in the team feels great, we are going in the right direction, we’ve got a good, balanced car and covered a lot of mileage.

“Every lap we are learning more and now it’s about developing and putting performance on. There’s always more to do, but I’m happy going into this short gap to Melbourne and excited to get back out on track in race mode.”

Cadillac was limited to 60 laps on the opening day of last week’s second test but recovered to add a further 210 across the remainder of its running, and team principal Graeme Lowdon says not facing major problems is important ahead of the team’s debut.

“A few small issues here and there, just like any other Formula 1 team, but all in all we can be very happy with the progress that we’ve made,” Lowdon said. “We’ve got a good baseline package that sets us up well for our first race in Melbourne. It’s a massive achievement to get to where we are now, and I’m extremely grateful and proud of everyone in the team for all their hard work.”

With the majority of the grid showing strong reliability, Cadillac was 10th out of 11 teams in terms of its overall lap count from the two tests in Bahrain. However, its final total was closer to the top of the rankings than 11th-placed Aston Martin.

“We're up against teams who have been doing this for a very, very long time … I'm extremely happy with the way that the team is working together,” said Lowdon. “We've got a lot of experienced people in the team, as I think people will have seen, but the experience of working together as the Cadillac Formula 1 team is less than 12 months.

“But I would say, to sum it up, extremely happy with the team. Very, very happy with the platform that we're building, and we can't wait for Melbourne.”