Perez fires up Cadillac’s F1 journey with first test run at Imola

The future roared into the present on Wednesday at Imola, where the Cadillac F1 team and Sergio Perez hit the track for their first ever real-world test.

The Mexican driver – who was back behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time since his final race with Red Bull almost a year ago – took charge of a Ferrari SF-23, dressed in raw carbon fibre and loaned by the Scuderia, as the American outfit conducted its very first preliminary track test ahead of its 2026 debut.

The day wasn’t about lap times or glory runs – it was about getting the American team getting its crews into the rhythm. For months, Cadillac’s engineers and mechanics have been refining procedures in simulators and garages, but this was their first taste of the real thing: the smell of fuel, the hum of telemetry, the choreography of pit work.

Perez, now fully integrated into Cadillac’s 2026 development program, put the car through its paces while the team practiced the operational grind of a race weekend – data checks, communication drills, and trackside coordination.

It marked a significant step for F1’s soon-to-be 11th team, blending American ambition with Ferrari horsepower. On a crisp Italian morning, the Cadillac crew finally swapped theory for tarmac – and their long road to the grid officially began to leave its first tyre marks.