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Mercedes Blocks Bottas From Cadillac F1 Tests as New Team Reports 2026 Car Build on Schedule

Cadillac will debut with Ferrari power in 2026.

Overview

  • Team principal Graeme Lowdon says the first two race chassis are now being built after a prototype completed FIA homologation and crash tests.
  • Dutch media report that Mercedes and Toto Wolff have withheld Valtteri Bottas’s release for Cadillac’s planned testing until late 2025, with the Finn remaining a reserve for the team.
  • Sergio Pérez is free to participate in Cadillac’s test running, which is planned with an older Ferrari car.
  • Cadillac’s 2026 lineup features Pérez and Bottas as race drivers with Colton Herta appointed as test driver.
  • Lowdon cautions against early expectations, saying the newcomer respects F1’s competitive intensity and will measure initial success by earning rivals’ respect.