Here’s A First Look At Cadillac’s Secret Formula 1 Car
The 2026 Cadillac Formula 1 Team car isn’t expected to be revealed in full before the first pre-season test in Barcelona on Jan. 26, but it is offering a pixellated sneak peek.
Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas has officially joined the team following the end of the Formula 1 season and had his seat fitted at its European headquarters in Silverstone, England.
The team released a series of photos showing Bottas in his fire suit and helmet seated in a prototype or mockup of the car’s chassis. Along with being comfortable in the car, there are safety regulations regarding clearances for his body and head within the structure.
But while the tub looks relatively generic, there is one interesting aspect to the photos. The roll hoop behind Bottas’ head has been obscured in all of them with large pixels.
Even in shots where just a sliver of the hoop can be seen Cadillac made sure to cover it up, suggesting that it is in fact the actual part that will be on the finished car.
CLICK TO BOOST AMERICAN CARS AND AND RACING IN YOUR SEARCH RESULTS
Meanwhile, a mounting point for the Halo safety device located in front of the cockpit can clearly be seen, but it is either the generic part used by all of the teams or a placeholder.
“Seeing everything coming together for the first time as a brand-new team is special and makes you realize the momentum of the project,” Bottas said in a news release.
“It’s important to get the preparation right as these moments really are the first steps to getting us ready for the first test. I can’t wait to get the season started and go racing once again.”
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE GAS: AN AMERICAN CARS AND RACING PODCAST
Bottas has also been to the GM Motorsports Technical Center in Charlotte, N.C., this week to take his first laps in the simulator.
Read Also: YOU’LL NEED AN APPLE TV SUBSCRIPTION TO SEE CADILLAC AND FORD IN FORMULA 1 NEXT YEAR
“The simulator session was to run Valtteri through a lot of the work we’ve been doing throughout the last couple years and getting him up to speed with how car development is coming,” Matt Borland, Senior Manager of Vehicle Systems at GM Motorsports, told GM News. “He did a great job and provided really good feedback to the team.”
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE AMERICAN CARS AND RACING NEWSLETTER FOR THE LATEST CADILLAC F1 UPDATES
Cadillac will be the first American manufacturer to enter Formula 1 as a works team with a chassis of its own design. This is different from the Haas F1 team, which does not make production cars.
The Cadillacs will use Ferrari power units during its first three seasons before switching to one that it is developing in 2029. Sergio Perez will be teammates with Bottas in 2026.