As Cadillac gears up for its highly anticipated Formula 1 debut in 2026, team principal Graeme Lowdon has moved to dispel concerns about the squad gaining an unfair edge by testing its crews in live conditions with the help of a partner outfit – such as Ferrari.
Cadillac has already leaned hard on simulators, running full race-weekend rehearsals from mission-control rooms in Silverstone and Charlotte with a roster that includes Simon Pagenaud, Charlie Eastwood and Pietro Fittipaldi, plus development driver Colton Herta and recent work with 2026 driver Sergio Perez.
But physical hardware is still absent: the team is building from scratch under next year’s regulations and cannot test its own 2026 car on track.
However, the American outfit that will become F1’s eleventh team on the grid is exploring innovative ways to prepare its engineers and mechanics for the rigors of Grand Prix racing.
Testing the people, not the car
As Cadillac negotiates access to a Ferrari car for testing under the sport’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) regulations, Lowdon emphasized that the focus is on training personnel, not exploiting rival technology.
“We've been looking at the testing a team can do under the TPC rules,” he said in Singapore last weekend, quoted by Motorsport.com.
The Briton was at pains to explain why borrowing a past-spec car would not translate into a technical advantage.
“We don't have a previous car, but also the title is a slightly misnomer, because we don't actually need to test a car, so it doesn't really matter,” he explained.
“Actually, current team testing is kind of what we're interested in. We want to use a car, because in all of the simulations that we mentioned, we try and make it as real to life as possible.
“I think everyone gets a little bit wrongly concerned, that in some way we can get an advantage by testing someone else's car or something. But we're not testing the car, we're testing the people.
“Yes, we are looking to gain the advantage, but not from anything to do with the car. The advantages that we want is for our mechanics to have the same experience that all the mechanics in this pit lane are having every day working with each car.”
Lowdon framed the exercise as bringing mechanics’ practice and muscle memory into alignment with the demands of a modern F1 weekend, rather than any attempt to reverse-engineer a competitor.
Practical steps toward a smooth debut
To that end, Lowdon explained the tangible, human elements they want to replicate.
“You have to get the mechanics used to that muscle memory of operating an F1 car,” he explained.
“You have to be able to stick tyre blankets on, and then there's just the size of a car and the heat that comes off one, and the presence that they have.
“I've been through this loop so many times in setting up a team, it's really important to try and simulate and get as near as you can to everything.”
Read also: Cadillac F1 enlists Pagenaud and Fittipaldi as sim drivers
Ferrari – Cadillac’s 2026 engine supplier – is the likeliest source for an older chassis to use in this role. Lowdon said such a deal would be logical and straightforward in intent.
“We're a [Ferrari] customer, so makes sense,” he acknowledged. “But as I say, we're not trying to learn anything from the car itself. I really don't really mind, as long as it's kind of right size and shape. It's just there to simulate, so I don't even care what colour it is.
“If we borrow a car off somebody, then that team needs to get the FIA to approve that we could use their car. And we involve the FIA in everything we're doing step-by-step, because we've got nothing to hide.”
©CadillacF1
Cadillac also has a contingency plan ready, just in case: if a loaned F1 chassis proves impossible to secure, the team could use one of its LMDh sports-prototype cars from endurance racing for pit-stop rehearsals – although Lowdon indicated that a modern F1 car would be the closest match for the sensory and procedural demands they want to replicate.
As Cadillac finalises its preparations, Lowdon’s message to the sport was clear: the priority is competency and safety for a new pit crew and race operation, not any underhanded technical gain.
By focusing on people and process and involving the FIA in the approvals, the team hopes to remove any lingering doubts as it races toward a high-profile arrival on the 2026 grid.
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