The Cadillac team will conduct on-track Formula 1 testing this year using a car supplied by another team as it ramps up preparations for its debut in 2026.
Sergio Perez, who was officially confirmed today as a Cadillac race driver for next year, says “there are some plans with the team to test [a] Formula 1 car before the end of the year".
Valtteri Bottas, who has also been announced as his team-mate, is under contract to Mercedes, so will continue to conduct reserve driver duties for the rest of the year, meaning it’s Perez who will primarily be available for test running in ’25.
Cadillac will not have a car of its own available until pre-season testing begins in late January next year, but it is permitted to run a car provided by another team.
Although Cadillac has not confirmed what machinery it will use, it would be logical for it to run a Ferrari under TPC [testing of previous cars, which permits the use of 2022-2024 F1 machinery] regulations.
While beneficial for Perez, who has been out of F1 since the end of last season, it is primarily of value to help the team’s preparations.
It will be part of what’s internally called the ‘race ready’ programme, designed to get Cadillac as sharp as possible ahead of its debut in Australia next March, which is currently focused on race weekends in terms of simulated running.
“We don’t have a TPC car or a current car that we can operate, but we are already simulating race events,” said team principal Graeme Lowdon when asked by The Race about testing plans.
“The next one that we're doing is Monza, and we simulate it as if it is a complete race, from start to finish with full integration of everybody in the team from Thursday all the way through to Sunday.
“We’ve got a very clear plan in our build-up to Melbourne next year and it doesn't involve just simulating races, which is really, really important. The last one we simulated, we probably had 50 or 60 engineering people fully involved over the whole weekend, both in the UK and the US, all getting used to working with each other.
"And we need to be in a position that when we get to Melbourne, we're not in a position where people are hearing voices for the first time, or working with each other for the first time, or anything else like that.
“And we’ll be introducing car testing as well this year. Obviously, we have to work with others to be able to do that, but there's that's perfectly allowable under the regulations.
“We just have a plan to steadily build up so that when we get to Melbourne, we hit the ground running, and the drivers themselves play such an important part in it. And the one thing I can tell you, just spending time with them is, I don't want to put words in their mouths, but there's a huge amount of enthusiasm to get going.”
The extent of the on-track programme is not clear, but in keeping with Lowdon's intention to prepare the team it is likely to involve a full complement of operational trackside personnel, or as close to that as possible, with the intention to simulate parts of the race weekend.
