Cadillac already up and running in Bahrain on final filming day

The Cadillac F1 team is set to crackle back to life under the desert sun today as the sport’s new entrant rolls its 2026 challenger onto the Bahrain International Circuit – not for testing glory, but for something nearly as valuable: precious mileage.

With the second pre-season test at Sakhir looming on Wednesday, the General Motors-backed squad has chosen to squeeze every last drop from the regulations, deploying its second and final authorized filming day to gather data, refine systems and – perhaps most importantly – keep the car running.

For a team preparing to embark on its maiden campaign as Formula 1’s 11th entrant, the road to readiness has been anything but smooth.

Cadillac’s entry was only formally approved midway through last year, leaving engineers, mechanics and drivers locked in a race against the calendar long before the season opener in Australia.

The car first stretched its legs during a filming run at Silverstone, a controlled environment designed more for cameras than competition. That was followed by F1’s private shakedown at Barcelona in January — three days of uninterrupted running that, while encouraging on the surface, exposed how much work still lies ahead.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas combined for 164 laps in Spain, a figure that placed Cadillac near the bottom of the mileage charts among teams present. The numbers told a simple story: promising beginnings, but far from full harmony between machine and crew.

A Final Filming Day

Bahrain, therefore, is less about spectacle and more about substance. Under sporting regulations, teams are permitted two filming days over the course of the season with their current cars, officially for promotional purposes.

In reality, those limited outings double as invaluable technical sessions – chances to test reliability, evaluate updates and rehearse procedures without the pressure of official timing screens.

By heading out to Sakhir 48 hours before its rivals, Cadillac gains a rare window of uninterrupted track time. The trade-off is significant: once today’s running concludes, the team will have no filming days left to fall back on.

It is a calculated gamble, one that underscores the urgency within the garage.

The objective is clear. More laps mean more data, more familiarity, and fewer unknowns when the lights go green for pre-season testing later this week.

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