The quiet, historic tarmac of the Imola circuit in Italy recently bore witness to an event that was anything but typical: the first major on-track movement of Formula 1’s newest contender, Cadillac. Yet, the car roaring around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari was not the promised machine of the future, but a plain, all-black Ferrari. And the man behind the wheel was none other than Sergio “Checo” Perez, fresh off a difficult, abrupt parting with Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2024 season.
This two-day test, which concluded in a flurry of data and a deep sense of accomplishment, was more than just a shakedown; it was a fascinating, crucial glimpse into the operational readiness of the American giant as it gears up for its highly anticipated 2026 debut. It was a test of people, of chemistry, and of sheer human resilience, proving that Cadillac’s foundation is being built not just with metal and carbon fiber, but with experience and emotional intelligence.
The Unlikely Black Horse: Why Ferrari?
The most immediate question sparking debate across the paddock was simple: why a Ferrari? The answer lies in the stringent, technical rulebook of Formula 1. As a brand-new entity, Cadillac, officially confirmed to the grid in March 2025, simply does not possess a two-year-old car of its own. F1’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) rules permit the use of such machinery, but only if it exists. To circumvent this logistical hurdle, Cadillac executed a brilliant, strategic maneuver: a technical partnership with the legendary Scuderia Ferrari.
Under this arrangement, Ferrari will supply Cadillac with engines, gearboxes, and suspension components for their introductory seasons. This agreement immediately unlocked the use of a 2020-spec Ferrari SF23 chassis for this crucial first test, providing the American team with invaluable, real-world operational experience they desperately needed.
The test itself was a monumental logistical operation. It wasn’t just a driver turning laps; it was a living, breathing exercise in team synergy. Around 20 Cadillac personnel—a mix of engineers, mechanics, and strategists—worked side-by-side with 30 experienced staff members from Ferrari’s dedicated test team. For the Cadillac crew, who had spent months refining their procedures within the clinical, isolated environment of a simulator, this was their baptism by fire.
Team Principal Graeme Louden made the team’s mission crystal clear, delivering a quote that cuts directly to the core of Cadillac’s philosophy: “We’re not testing the car; we’re testing the people.” He elaborated on the human element, stating, “The advantage that we want is for our mechanics to have the same experience that all the mechanics in this pit lane are having every day.” The goal was to practice pit stops under pressure, execute seamless setup changes, and analyze real-time data while communicating effectively—all crucial, high-pressure tasks that no simulator can fully replicate. This test was the moment the Cadillac personnel transitioned from individuals with F1 experience to a cohesive, functioning team.
Checo’s Heroic Comeback: 190 Laps and Zero Doubt
For Sergio Perez, the Imola test was nothing short of a personal and professional resurgence. At 35, and having just taken his first significant break from motorsport in nearly two decades following his departure from Red Bull, this was his critical step back into the spotlight. It marked his first time in an F1 car in almost a year.
The physical demands of a modern Formula 1 car are brutal, especially on the neck, which must withstand staggering G-forces. Before the test, Perez admitted to being genuinely curious about his physical limits, saying, “I’m curious, you know, to find out how many laps my neck will do before it gets destroyed.”
The results were a resounding declaration of his physical and mental fortitude. Over the two days, Perez completed an immense 190 laps, totaling approximately 930 kilometers of running. He drove 99 laps on the first day and another 91 on the second, silencing any critics who doubted his readiness. This monumental mileage immediately demonstrated that he is already back to a world-class level of physical fitness, a testament to his dedication during his time away from the grid.
While the primary focus was operational readiness, the lap times themselves offered a tantalizing point of discussion. On Thursday, Perez’s best lap was reported to be a highly competitive 1 minute 18.82 seconds. It is fascinating to compare this to Charles Leclerc’s time from the 2022 season, when the Monegasque driver drove Ferrari’s first ground effect car in the only dry practice session at Imola, setting a 1 minute 19.740 seconds.
Perez’s time—in a two-year-old car he was completely unfamiliar with, on a track layout that has evolved—was nearly a full second faster than Leclerc’s 2022 benchmark. This extraordinary baseline performance, even though the team correctly insisted he wasn’t pushing to the limit, is a powerful signal. It suggests not only the caliber of the driver but also a smooth, highly effective integration into the new team environment.
The two-day run was described as flawlessly clean, with the only minor reported issue being a brief trip into the gravel at the infamous Tamburello corner—a common occurrence when finding the limits of an F1 machine. Perez himself spoke glowingly of the experience: “It’s a great test and a great way to finish the year before getting back in the car next year,” he said. “It’s basically just a time for us to be able to get together with the engineers and mechanics, start working all together, you know, start talking the same language.” This early, deep integration is the bedrock for building the communication, trust, and shared vision necessary for a successful, high-performance race team.
The Race Against Time: “Time is the Enemy”
The Imola test is merely the starting gun for Cadillac’s terrifyingly tight timeline. Team principal Louden revealed the sheer scale of the challenge: “Time is the enemy in a project like this because we know we’ll be racing in Melbourne the first week of March our [20]26, and that deadline can’t be extended.”
With their entry officially confirmed in March 2025, Cadillac has been left with an incredibly compressed window to develop, build, and test a completely new car, establish infrastructure across the United States and the United Kingdom, and assemble a cohesive team. Their schedule is audacious:
Before Christmas (2025): Plan to fire up the engine of their very own 2026 car for the first time.
January 2026: Scheduled for the first track run of the actual Cadillac F1 car.
End of January 2026: The official pre-season test in Barcelona.
March 2026: Debut at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Cadillac is entering the sport precisely when major regulatory change is sweeping the grid. Louden sees this not just as a challenge, but as a critical opportunity. “The advantage for us is that with this major regulation change, all teams face a new challenge, including ours. No one knows where they’ll be,” he explained. While established teams are constrained by their past designs and inherent concepts, Cadillac holds a clean slate, unburdened by legacy car concepts. This is their moment to exploit the regulatory reset.
Experience is the Greatest Asset
Cadillac’s clear statement of intent is perhaps best embodied in their driver lineup. Pairing Sergio Perez with the seasoned Valtteri Bottas gives the team one of the most experienced duos on the entire grid, boasting a combined total of over 500 Grand Prix starts. This wealth of collective knowledge will be invaluable in guiding the new team through the inevitable turbulence of their debut season.
Perez’s personal experience is a strategic asset. Known as a powerful team player who excels at extracting performance from challenging cars—as he demonstrated throughout his career at teams like Force India—he understands the process of developing a car over the course of a season. This deep, practical knowledge is priceless.
The partnership with Ferrari is not just a temporary fix; it is a long-term strategic master stroke. By relying on Ferrari’s competitive power units and technical components for the first three years, Cadillac is effectively buying itself time. The team can focus its enormous energy and resources entirely on building its staff, honing its race operation, developing its infrastructure, and learning the nuances of the sport, all without the debilitating pressure of having to create a competitive engine from scratch.
By 2029, when General Motors’ own engine is scheduled to arrive, the Cadillac team should be a well-established, operationally mature force, ready to take the next, final step toward full independence and sustained competitiveness.
Ultimately, the Imola test was a triumphant success. It was the moment Cadillac’s ambitious project became tangible reality. The 190 faultless laps completed by Perez stand as a testament to the reliability of the Ferrari package and, more importantly, the operational readiness and potential of the new Cadillac crew. While the true, defining test awaits in 2026, this first, confident step was a psychological victory, a technical affirmation, and a powerful emotional statement from Formula 1’s newest and most intriguing challenger.
