Cadillac F1's First Race Car Will Probably Be a Ferrari

America's F1 Dream Starts Here

The irony is almost too perfect to believe. Cadillac F1, America's long-awaited return to Formula 1, will likely take its first tentative laps around a race circuit in a Ferrari SF-23 race car. Team principal Graeme Lowdon confirmed that Cadillac plans to use a rival squad for its Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programmes ahead of their 2026 championship debut. Ferrari, of course, is the most logical choice given their engine supply partnership.

The newly-formed Cadillac Formula 1 team faces a unique challenge: you can't test your own car because it doesn't exist yet. TPC regulations allow teams up to 20 days of running in machinery that's at least two years old. As a completely new squad on the grid, Cadillac must rely on established competitors to provide the hardware.

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Strategic Partnership Born of Necessity

Ferrari emerges as the obvious solution since the Italian marque will power Cadillac cars until the American manufacturer develops its own F1 engines from 2029. This arrangement makes perfect sense from a technical standpoint. Why wouldn’t you learn in the same chassis that will house your future power unit?

The timing couldn't be more critical for Cadillac F1’s newly announced drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Perez, fresh from his Red Bull departure, is eager to get back behind the wheel, stating he's "looking forward to see if we can do some driving as well this year" to prepare for his F1 comeback. Bottas has experience with the Ferrari power unit, having raced one during his stint with Kick Sauber.

You Can’t Spell ‘Red, White and Blue’ Without Red 

The partnership extends beyond just borrowing old Ferraris. Ferrari will serve as Cadillac's engine supplier for their first three seasons, making this testing arrangement a practical extension of their technical relationship. 

Cadillac is already simulating complete race weekends, with their next virtual event being Monza, involving 50-60 engineering personnel across both UK and US operations. For Cadillac, it's about hitting the ground running when they become F1's 11th team. Even if that ground is initially covered in a Ferrari.