Cadillac has completed the first laps with its Formula 1 car, conducting a shakedown at a damp Silverstone on Friday.<\/p>\n
The American car manufacturer, whose European base is next to the British Grand Prix venue, is making its F1 debut this season and will become the first all-new entrant since Haas in 2016.<\/p>\n
While Cadillac is not holding a launch event until its livery is revealed during a halftime Super Bowl advert on February 8, the team will join the first pre-season test at Barcelona on January 26.<\/p>\n
But ahead of that, it has now completed the first miles with its 2026 challenger \u2013 as it released on social media a short video of its car running at Silverstone with reserve driver Guanyu Zhou at the wheel.<\/p>\n
The first lap of something bigger. pic.twitter.com\/QCOcF7RoGt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cadillac Formula 1 Team (@Cadillac_F1) January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Earlier in the day, Zhou posted a video talking about the shakedown.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cExcitement, you know. Shakedown is all about making sure the car is running and all the engineers are ticking up all the boxes with the gearbox, engine and also the set-up work.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd for the driver it\u2019s all about [if] we are happy, comfortable in the new seat, with the steering wheel and all the feedback and together communication.<\/p>\n \u201cSo looking forward to it and then more excitement for the season when it\u2019s all starting.\u201d<\/p>\n Special day at Silverstone \u2728 pic.twitter.com\/94SXz22ShT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cadillac Formula 1 Team (@Cadillac_F1) January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n While the images released by Cadillac were not in high enough resolution to pick out specific design details of the car, they do point to some aggressively downwashed sidepods.<\/p>\n As Cadillac is a Ferrari customer, its first run also means Ferrari’s 2026 F1 engine has completed its first laps.<\/p>\n