The world of Formula 1 thrives on stability and established rivalries. Yet, a truly bizarre and highly symbolic event recently unfolded on the tarmac of Imola, signaling the high-octane pressure mounting on the grid’s newest contender: Cadillac. The sight was enough to make even the most seasoned F1 pundit do a double-take: former Red Bull star Sergio Perez behind the wheel of a blacked-out, de-branded 2023 Ferrari F1 car.
This was no mistake. It was a rare and unusual case of one F1 team—the impending American giant Cadillac—utilizing another’s testing allocation and machinery to gain invaluable, real-world operational experience ahead of their high-profile 2026 grid debut as the sport’s 11th team. The ‘Ghost Ferrari’—a nod to the unliveried 1998 Ferrari prototype famously tested by Michael Schumacher and Nicola Larini—represents the sheer scale and audacity of Cadillac’s F1 challenge, and the lengths they must go to bridge the chasm separating a startup from the established motorsport elite.
For Perez, the test provided a fascinating career twist. As a former Ferrari Driver Academy member who was once tipped for a future race seat at Maranello before his ill-fated move to McLaren, driving an F1 Ferrari again, even a de-branded one, carried a certain resonance. But the true story lies in the desperate necessity driving Cadillac’s partnership with the Scuderia.
The Operational Trial by Fire
For months, Cadillac’s preparation has been largely theoretical. They’ve been simulating race weekends tirelessly at their new Silverstone factory. But F1 is not just about simulation; it is a brutally physical, real-time discipline that demands flawless execution and seamless human communication. This is where the Ferrari alliance, centered around engine supply for the first few seasons, became crucial. The black Ferrari running on track wasn’t about chasing performance; it was about laying the foundation for a fully functioning race team.
The core purpose of the two-day test at Imola, preceded by a preliminary shakedown at Ferrari’s own Fiorano facility, was strictly operational. It was designed to establish the correct internal practices, develop verbal and physical communication within the garage, and iron out the logistics, infrastructure, and IT systems of the entire operation.
Perez, in the absence of his 2026 teammate Valtteri Bottas (who is tied to Mercedes as their reserve driver), took on driving duties. This two-fold benefit provided Perez with his first taste of an F1 car since his last race for Red Bull and, more importantly, gave the Cadillac team the vital chance to practice everything from refueling and operating tire warmers to bleeding the hydraulics and working on the car under pressure.
Pat Simmons, Cadillac’s executive engineering consultant, revealed that while the team has recruited highly experienced personnel from various F1 teams, the challenge is unifying those disparate experiences into one cohesive, efficient standard—the “Cadillac way” of communicating. This involves standardizing everything from the specific vocabulary used over the team radio to the precise movements and actions executed in the garage and pit lane. This is the necessary next step in transforming a group of talented individuals into a high-functioning race squad, even as the virtual simulations of entire race weekends continue remotely.
Racing Against the Clock and Gravity
Cadillac is entering F1 from a starting point far behind the established 10 teams, particularly regarding infrastructure and existing personnel. The team is operating from a decentralized network of facilities: the primary operations base at Silverstone, wind tunnel testing at Toyota’s Cologne site, and planned utilization of technology centers at GM in Indiana and the GM performance power units headquarters in North Carolina, where their works engine will eventually be developed.
The ticking clock is deafening. There are now fewer than 75 days until Cadillac is scheduled to join the other teams for the first collective pre-season test in Barcelona. The job list is monumental and terrifying in its scope:
A looming, mandatory FIA crash test for the first chassis, dubbed ‘chassis 00’ by Simmons.
The first batch of sea freight, containing essential components for the opening races in Australia, is scheduled to leave on a hard date: November 18th.
The new car’s engine ‘fire up’ is expected before Christmas, followed by a crucial shakedown test in early January.
Cadillac’s position is precarious. Having come “from so far back” compared to the competition, the team cannot afford the luxury of waiting until the last possible minute to eke out marginal performance gains. One organizational misstep, and the entire dream risks collapse, leaving them without a car on the grid at all. This necessity is why Cadillac is expected to be one of the first, if not the first, team to put its 2026 chassis through the mandatory FIA crash tests.
Bold Aero Ambitions and the Ferrari Barrier
Despite the compressed timeline, Cadillac is not short on ambition, particularly in the aerodynamic domain. Simmons confirmed that committing to an early chassis completion date had only “minor implications” on final packaging and would not massively compromise performance. The team’s aerodynamic focus is where they believe they can make up ground, particularly in the floor, bodywork, and wing designs.
In an act of controlled bravado, Cadillac has effectively taken the FIA’s internal estimate for 2026 downforce levels and “aimed for a bit higher,” setting what they term “very aggressive” aero targets. Simmons acknowledged that the teams dramatically exceeded the FIA’s downforce estimates when the 2022 ground effect cars were introduced. Believing the FIA has now set a more “quite realistic” baseline, Cadillac is still pushing the envelope, showcasing a willingness to take calculated risks where performance can be found.
Crucially, the team is defining itself by what it won’t buy from Ferrari. While they will begin life as a Ferrari customer for the 2026 power unit and the gearbox cassette, Simmons has made it emphatically clear that this is where the customer relationship ends. Unlike other customer teams, Cadillac has committed to designing everything else—from the suspension to the monocoque and all major aerodynamic surfaces—in-house from scratch. This stance underscores a profound commitment to becoming a genuine, fully independent constructor.
The Engine Conundrum and the Future of F1
Looking past the immediate 2026 debut, Cadillac’s original entry was predicated on an unwavering commitment to becoming a full works engine manufacturer by 2029. However, this longer-term timeline has been thrown into disarray by the unpredictable nature of F1 governance. The FIA has been openly debating with manufacturers and teams about a potential fundamental rules switch—specifically, a return to V8 engines—by 2031, or even 2030.
Such a rule change creates a major financial and logistical conundrum. Investing hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and launch a next-generation turbo hybrid engine for just one or two seasons before a mandated switch to a V8 concept would be nonsensical for the team’s parent company, General Motors (GM).
Despite this regulatory uncertainty, GM is not abandoning its investment. From their perspective, it remains vital to keep pushing forward, ensuring their F1 engine facilities are “primed for the future” and ready to respond instantly if and when the new rules are confirmed. Any infrastructure, technical understanding, and intellectual property built up in the interim will be invaluable in the ultimate goal of closing the gap to the established F1 teams.
The sight of Sergio Perez in a black Ferrari was a symbol of necessity, partnership, and the immense pressure cooker that is a modern F1 team launch. Cadillac’s first season in 2026 remains a truly daunting prospect, but through highly unconventional testing methods, aggressive internal targets, and a resolute commitment to in-house design, the American giant is doing everything in its power to ensure the Ghost Ferrari heralds the arrival of a genuine new competitor, not a fleeting phantom.
