SEPTEMBER 15, 2025

Ferrari set to loan 2023 car for Cadillac test

Cadillac's entry to Formula 1 in 2026 will be eased by an unusual agreement with Ferrari.

The new outfit's team principal Graeme Lowdon revealed that the squad's first chassis monocoque is already nearing FIA crash testing. But sources now confirm that Ferrari will also loan a recent F1 car to help the American outfit prepare before its own machine is ready.

If Cadillac showed up to Barcelona testing (in January 2026) without ever starting the engine or having driven the car, it would very likely not be able to drive at all. That would not be fair, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur said.

Getting all the systems up and running for the first time is a very complicated thing. When I was at Sauber we introduced new software in Austin and we effectively lost the first practice session because of a malfunction between the garage and the car. That's how complicated it is.

According to sources, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are therefore expected to conduct a private test at Fiorano in late November at the wheel of a 2023 Ferrari.

Cadillac's full race team will be embedded throughout the running, simulating a grand prix weekend in order to learn procedures for 2026 with an actual car running at speed.

Ferrari will also supply the new entrant with customer power units under the deal approved earlier this year.

(GMM)