The newest sound in Formula 1 is not a whisper of hybrid efficiency but a full‑throated growl from a car that carries one of America’s most storied badges. Cadillac’s first Formula 1 challenger has completed its maiden laps at Silverstone, and the early footage and trackside clips show a snarling machine that is already turning heads long before its 2026 debut. The shakedown marks a pivotal moment for both the brand and the series, as a fresh American-backed entry joins the grid under a radically revised rule set.
The first laps of a new American contender
Cadillac’s arrival in Formula 1 has moved from boardroom ambition to physical reality with the team’s first on‑track running at Silverstone. The new Cadillac Formula 1 Team completed its initial laps during a controlled shakedown, described as a filming day at England’s Silverstone Circuit, giving the sport its first real look at a 2026‑spec car at speed and in anger, with the American outfit positioning this as a milestone in what it calls “motorsport history” for the brand and for fans in the United States and beyond. Those first laps, carried out behind closed doors but documented in official clips, underline how far the project has come since it was announced that the Cadillac Formula 1 Team would join the grid and that the Team Completes Its First Laps On The Track as part of a long‑term plan to embed the marque at the top of global single‑seater racing, with the effort framed as a bridge between American motorsport culture and the European heartland of Formula 1, and the Cadillac Formula 1 Team presented as a new standard bearer for that crossover in Jan as the Team Completes Its First Laps On The Track Cadillac Formula.
The car itself is built to the incoming 2026 regulations and, for now, is powered by a Ferrari unit, with Formula 1’s new team completing its first ever laps on track with their Ferrari‑powered 2026 car at Silverstone as part of a carefully managed shakedown that also served as a systems check before full pre‑season testing, and that early partnership with Ferrari is set to last until the power units being developed by General Motors are ready in 2029, a timeline that underlines how seriously General Motors is treating its long‑term role as a works engine supplier in the series, with Cadillac set to be the Italian automaker’s customer until those General Motors power units arrive, a detail that ties the project directly to the broader strategy of General Motors to use Formula 1 as a development and marketing platform for its electrified performance technology, and that relationship between Cadillac, the Italian supplier and General Motors has been laid out clearly in reporting that notes how Cadillac will be the Italian automaker’s customer until the power units being developed by General Motors are ready in 2029, a plan that gives the team stability in the short term and a clear identity as a full works operation in the medium term Cadillac.
Sergio Perez leads the shakedown charge
To translate years of simulation into meaningful feedback, Cadillac turned to one of the most experienced drivers on the current grid, Sergio Perez, who was given the first laps in the new machine at Silverstone. Formula 1’s new team completed its first ever laps on track with their Ferrari‑powered 2026 car at Silverstone, and Sergio Perez got the first taste of the package as he guided the car down the long straights and through the fast sweeps of the British circuit, with the team using the run to validate basic systems, gather aero data in damp conditions and give Perez an initial feel for how the 2026‑spec chassis and power unit behave in real‑world conditions, and that choice of driver is significant because Sergio Perez brings a decade of Formula 1 experience to the project, including race wins and deep knowledge of how different cars respond to setup changes, which is invaluable when a team is trying to understand a brand‑new concept, and the fact that Formula 1’s new team complete their first laps with Sergio Perez at the wheel at Silverstone has been highlighted in coverage that notes how the Ferrari‑powered car and its first driver pairing are central to Cadillac’s early development phase Formula.
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team has taken a decisive step towards its Formula 1 debut after completing its first on‑track laps at Silv, with Sergio Perez at the center of that effort as he worked through a structured run plan that focused on installation laps, gradual speed increases and checks of the hybrid deployment, brake‑by‑wire behavior and steering feel, and the reporting on the shakedown stresses that The Cadillac Formula 1 Team views this as a foundational moment in its journey to represent the United States and beyond on the global stage, with the Team using Perez’s feedback to refine everything from cockpit ergonomics to power delivery mapping, and the description of how The Cadillac Formula 1 Team completed its first on track laps at Silv with Sergio Perez underscores the importance of having a proven race winner involved from day one, since his comments will shape the development direction long before the car lines up on the grid for its first competitive start The Cadillac Formula.
A bare‑carbon beast with a ferocious soundtrack
Visually, Cadillac has opted for understatement at this early stage, with the car running in a largely bare carbon design that leaves the weave of the material exposed and uses only minimal branding. It is a largely bare carbon design which features the Cadillac logo spread over the rear of the car, while the names of founding members and key partners are integrated subtly into the livery, a choice that reflects both the car’s prototype status and a desire to keep final color schemes under wraps until closer to the season, and that stripped‑back look, captured in official imagery and trackside clips, gives the machine a purposeful, almost stealth‑fighter presence as it cuts through the spray on the Silverstone straight, with the reporting on the shakedown emphasizing how the Cadillac logo dominates the rear bodywork even in this early configuration, and that detail about the bare carbon design and the Cadillac logo spread over the rear of the car has been highlighted in coverage that notes how the team is still finalizing its full race livery while already showcasing the core brand identity on the track Cadillac.
If the visuals are restrained, the sound is anything but, and that is where Cadillac’s new machine has already captured the imagination of fans. Social clips from the shakedown show the car firing out of the pits and howling down the Wellington Straight, with one widely shared reel urging viewers to imagine race day and declaring that Cadillac’s F1 debut already sounds ferocious, as the 2026 engine is in action and the car surges through the lower gears with a rasp that cuts through the damp Silverst air, and that same reel, tagged with #CadillacF1, #F12026 and #Silverst, has become a focal point for early fan reaction to the car’s soundtrack, with the caption “if this is just the shakedown… imagine race day” encapsulating the sense that the power unit’s aggressive note could become a signature of the new era, and the fact that this clip of the 2026 engine in action at Silverst has been amplified across platforms shows how quickly a distinctive sound can shape the identity of a new team in the minds of supporters imagine race day.
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