The date is 16 January 2026, the venue is Silverstone, sitting gloomy and grey in the middle of winter, and the event is a “shakedown” filming day, six weeks out from the new season. For 10 Formula 1 teams, such routine occasions transpire without any ballyhoo. Not, however, for the sport’s soon-to-be 11th outfit – and the first new team in 10 years.
“I’m not an emotional person,” says Cadillac’s executive engineering consultant, Pat Symonds. “But it was a very emotional moment. What very few people outside of F1 realise is the size, complexity and infrastructure around the cars – they’re all incredibly complex.
“But building a new team? That’s 10 times as difficult as building a new car.”
It’s been quite the journey to this point for Cadillac, owned by American automotive giant General Motors, just three days out from Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas taking to the start line on the streets of Albert Park in Melbourne. Ever since F1 confirmed its radical shake-up of rules and regulations for the upcoming season back in 2022, a host of individuals plotted to join the 2026 grid, given the financial and sporting might of modern-day Formula One, particularly in the United States.
As such, it was disappointing when Andretti’s entry (with 1978 world champion Mario Andretti as its figurehead) was rejected in early 2024. Yet with just a year remaining, sturdied in their ambition by committing to building their own engine before the end of the decade, Cadillac signed off on one final bid-to-join. And this time, the wheels turned in motion quickly.
“Just getting the entry was the biggest element so far,” says Symonds, formerly of Benetton, Renault, Williams and most recently Formula One Management. Conveniently, for F1’s first new team since Haas in 2016, the 72-year-old played a pivotal role in the formation of this year’s complex regulations.
“Our team principal, Graeme Lowdon, chased like a terrier to get the entry, it was really impressive. I think the works team aspect of it, to have an American OEM [original equipment manufacturer] involved in such a direct way from 2029, is excellent for the sport. A sport growing in America is a sport growing worldwide. That was instrumental in us getting the entry.”
Since that moment of acceptance, the last 12 months have been a predictable whirlwind. Lowdon detailed that 520 people have been recruited in engineering, marketing and logistics – spread across their three bases in Silverstone (UK), Indianapolis and Charlotte (USA) – whittled down from an astonishing 143,265 applications. By lights out on Sunday, that number will be closer to 600.
And to their immense credit, while Aston Martin turned up two days late and Williams failed to travel at all, Cadillac were present at the first test event in Barcelona with all the other teams. Symonds details: “We received a lot of compliments from other teams, who probably were thinking: ‘would we ever get here?’ We’re in really good shape.
“Last year, when there was a race, we were tracking it and rehearsing it in real time as if we were racing. We had all our meetings, deciding how to tackle the event. We were running in the American simulator and the operations room in the UK. I got totally immersed in it.
“There are a lot of things we’re doing in terms of our processes and procedures that are really front-of-the-grid stuff. That’ll stand us in good stead as we build up the competitiveness of the car.”
Perez and Bottas – with 16 race victories between them – are under no illusions of where expectations lie this year. In both Bahrain tests last month, it was notable how both drivers, returning to the sport this year after a season’s “sabbatical”, struggled to shift from the bottom of the timesheets.
“We may well be running at the back of the field,” Symonds acknowledges. “But that’s nothing to be ashamed of.” As it happens, the speculation heading into Australia is that big-spending Aston Martin could drop out just a few laps into Sunday’s race, such is the early unravelling of their power unit partnership with Honda. Cadillac, using Ferrari’s engines for their first three seasons, have no such concerns.
“What does a good 2026 look like to me? It’s about respectability,” Symonds adds. “This year is a foundation to get the team moving forward towards, ultimately, winning races and world championships.
“We’ve got two great drivers. The target is continual improvement, which leads to success. Continuity is a function of time, so we have to allow time to pass. I have very ambitious targets, but you have to temper those targets and those ambitions with realistic pragmatism.”
Arguably of most intrigue on the driver’s side is Cadillac’s substitute bench. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, managed by Lowdon, is a reserve, while IndyCar race winner Colton Herta has ditched his career stateside for a shot at the big time and will be a test driver. The 25-year-old has even dropped down to Formula Two and will make his debut in Melbourne. An American driver racing for an American team, down the line?
“I have a huge amount of respect for Colton in moving away from America and effectively taking a downward step,” Symonds says. “Let’s see how they all do. I really hope he becomes part of the team in the future, but I wouldn’t want to put a date on it.”
There may well be some long weekends ahead, but Cadillac are confident in their long-term sustainability as an authentic Formula 1 project. They launched their 2026 car with a $20m Super Bowl advert. They’ve attracted two stalwart drivers, both with a decade of experience behind them.
And unlike previous teams who went bust in next-to-no time in the 2010s – such as HRT, Marussia and Caterham – F1’s growth trajectory shows no signs of abating. Cadillac have already spent approximately £1.2bn, just to get to this point.
“We’re very well financed,” Symonds says. “This is the best-financed team I’ve ever worked at, and that includes Renault in its heyday [winning titles with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso].
“We know what the rules are and we’ll be treated as equals. And then? Success will come.”
