TGR StaffCadillac F1 has had a long road to the Formula 1 grid, and it just got real in the most satisfying way possible: tire marks on proper race track asphalt. The Cadillac F1 Team completed its first on-track running at Silverstone, with Sergio “Checo” Perez logging the program’s first public laps during a promotional filming day as the American-backed effort builds toward its 2026 debut season.
Cadillac F1: A shakedown with a job to do
Filming days are not full-bore tests, but they matter. They are designed for promotional content, yet teams use them as controlled shakedowns to confirm that the basics work: ignition, hydraulics, sensors, cooling, gearbox systems, and all the small details that can ruin a morning before you even get to the fun stuff.
Under current rules, these promotional events are tightly limited and run on special demonstration tires, with the distance cap expanded in recent seasons to allow up to 200 km per day. In other words, it is enough laps to validate systems, not enough to give away the competitive secrets.
Dan Towriss, CEO of Cadillac Formula 1® Team Holdings, commented: “Today’s shakedown is a significant step for the Cadillac Formula 1 ®Team. Watching the car roll out of the garage is a moment of pride. The first laps on track mark a historic milestone; the culmination of thousands of hours of work, driven by pure passion. Graeme has done an outstanding job of assembling a team of absolute racers that have given everything to get to this moment. This is just the beginning, as our work continues at pace towards Melbourne and beyond.”
Silverstone is a fitting stage for a first outing. It is fast, technical, and brutally honest about stability. If something is loose at Abbey or the car is breathing wrong through Maggotts and Becketts, you find out quickly.
Cadillac F1: The stealth look comes before the spotlight
Cadillac ran the car in an all-black setup for the Silverstone day, keeping the final look under wraps. The team says the official 2026 livery will be revealed Sunday, February 8, during a globally televised championship broadcast, a very modern piece of showmanship aimed at reaching fans in the US and abroad.
If you have been waiting for the moment Cadillac F1 stops being a PowerPoint deck and starts being a race team, this is it. The first laps are the line in the sand between theory and reality.
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal, added: “Today represents countless hours of hard work, commitment and belief from everyone involved in the team. It shows the progress we’re continuing to make in a short space of time. It’s been a great opportunity for the team to gel in a live garage environment, verify car systems and resolve any initial issues. But it’s just the beginning of the road; we now turn our attention to pre-season testing in just a few weeks’ time, which will provide even more opportunity to learn.”
Cadillac F1: The bigger picture for 2026
Cadillac’s entry is formally approved for the 2026 grid, backed by General Motors and TWG Motorsports, and it will arrive in the sport right as F1 enters a new rules era. That timing is equal parts opportunity and chaos, because nobody truly knows who will nail the new formula early. Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has been blunt about that uncertainty, emphasizing that the team’s first priority is executing internally and earning respect as the newcomer on the grid.
The driver lineup is not shy, either. Cadillac F1 has signed Perez and Valtteri Bottas, bringing a mountain of experience and a reputation for detailed feedback, exactly what a new team needs when the car is still learning how to be a car.
Checo Perez: “Today was really an amazing day. Everyone should feel incredibly proud to complete our first laps as a team. Each and every person has worked so hard to get to this moment and it was emotional to be part of motorsport history. We can, and should, all enjoy, but it’s absolutely fired me up for more. I just want to get back in and get mileage – this is just the start.”
Valtteri Bottas: “As a team we made history today with the Cadillac Formula 1® Team car taking to the track for the first time. Checo put in the first laps with the car running smoothly. I’m proud of the whole team for getting to this point, which is really impressive. It was special to be part of this moment and witness the joy from the team. Our first day is done and now we push on.”
The Silverstone shakedown is an early checkmark, not a finish line. Next comes the livery reveal, then the serious work of pre-season testing, where lap times begin to matter and the mood in the garage shifts from “does it run” to “does it run fast.”
For Cadillac, the symbolism is obvious: an American brand, a new team, two proven drivers, and a first set of laps at one of the sport’s most meaningful circuits. For everyone else, it is the start of a new storyline for 2026, and a reminder that in Formula 1, nothing is real until the wheels turn.
