Sergio Perez had the honour of giving the new Cadillac F1 its first lap in a promotional day shakedown run at Silverstone on Friday afternoon.
It was also the first on-track run for the 2026 Ferrari engine, with the Italian team having issued a clip that included audio of a first fire-up in its own SF-26 in Maranello.
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The US-owned team issued only a few indistinct images of the car and a brief video snippet ahead of its first proper appearance in a launch livery at the Barcelona test, which will be followed by the official unveil of the car’s new colours on SuperBowl day.
The Silverstone run came the day after GM’s rivals Ford grabbed the limelight with a Red Bull launch in Detroit on Thursday.
“Today’s shakedown is a significant step for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team,” said CEO Dan Towriss. “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 [Lowdon] 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.”
Team Principal Lowdon said: “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.”
“Today was really an amazing day,” said Perez. “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.”
Perez’s team mate Valtteri Bottas and reserve Zhou Guanyu were also present at Silverstone.
“I’m proud of the whole team for getting to this point, which is really impressive,” said the Finn. “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.”
Adam Cooper F1 