Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 3:04 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 3:04 p.m.
New Formula 1 team Cadillac, the 11th manufacturer to be on the grid in 2026, is keeping expectations low ahead of its first season at the Grand Prix.
General Motors is carefully building its ambitious project, with bases in the US and UK and a pair of super drivers, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, both with multiple victories in Formula 1. Until they start producing their own engines, the Americans will use power units supplied by Ferrari.
Ahead of its debut in Formula 1, Cadillac is aware of the scale of the challenge, even if the new technical regulations could provide an opportunity for a realignment of forces.
The reason why Cadillac is not aiming for points in its first year in Formula 1
Asked if the team would target points this year, chief executive Dan Tauris was evasive, outlining long-term goals:
“For me, points would be an incidental goal. I want to see how we beat teams, how we overtake cars on the track and how many cars we can overtake in the first year as we move up the rankings. That's how we think.
Secondly, the pace of development of this car will also be important. Obviously, we have a long-term vision for the team. And that is exactly what we will focus on. I think so to focus on points from the outset would be both overly optimistic and evidence of short-term thinking. And we want long-term success in this sport.”
Encouraging performance in the first tests
Cadillac conducted the car's first test on January 16, before completing 164 laps at the Barcelona test and conducting its second and final day of permitted filming in Bahrain on February 9.
By comparison, some established teams hit the track much later. Car Aston Martin debuted in Barcelona on the evening of January 29, while Williams completely missed the Catalan test and he was able to test his new single-seater only on February 4.
“For us, Barcelona was mostly about an initial check and testing of systems. Because everything we build is for the first time – it's the first steering column, the first fuel system, all the components. So the focus is on reliability.
We'll see where we rank in terms of performance. I think for us, the pace of development will be the key. I expect we will be behind aerodynamically at the start in Melbourne.
As more data accumulates, the development of this machine will happen quite quickly. We certainly expect to compete with other teams. We will see how things will develop. Again, we have a lot of changes – tires, chassis, powertrain.
Drivers will have to drive these cars in a different way. There are many questions that are still waiting to be answered”, said Tauris, quoted by sportal.bg, regarding this training period.
