Explained: Why Sergio Perez is testing a Ferrari F1 car and key details from Cadillac's first test day

Sergio Perez has returned to a Formula 1 car for the first time in nearly a year, beginning a two-day run at Imola in a 2023-spec Ferrari as part of Cadillac’s preparations for their 2026 debut. The event marked the American outfit’s first on-track activity with a race driver and is designed to accelerate both the team’s operational readiness and Perez’s return to full race sharpness ahead of pre-season testing in January.

Cadillac, unable to run its own Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme as a new entrant, has reached an agreement with Ferrari to use the two-year-old SF-23. The car ran in an all-black temporary livery, with Perez in a matching suit and helmet, as they began integrating procedures that will eventually transfer to next year’s first Cadillac-built chassis.

On day one at Imola, Sergio Perez completed 57 laps (roughly 280 kilometres) in four runs of 13 laps each. His best lap time of 1:19.17 came in the low-intensity programme, which was focused on pit lane operations, installation checks, and intra-team communication.

The intent was to expose Cadillac’s mechanics and engineers to real-world workflow after months of simulator-based rehearsals. Track running introduces variables that software cannot fully mimic, including temperature changes, tire behavior, and operational pressure during repeated pit sequences.

For Perez, the outing carries its own purpose. After ending his Red Bull stint in 2024 and taking his first extended break from motorsport in two decades, he needed miles to regain physical rhythm and mechanical awareness. Speaking before the session, Perez told F1.com:

“I think it’s great to get the running and also the timing works perfectly because it’s just before the January test. On these two days, on the physical side, I want to see how much I’ve lost, where I need to work on. It will give me a very good guide for the winter, to be able to focus on that stuff.”

Sergio Perez has spent the past months splitting time between Cadillac’s UK facility in Silverstone and its US base in Charlotte, completing simulator runs and early systems briefings. Imola was his first opportunity to translate those learnings onto a real car.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas at Hungaroring on July 23, 2023. Source: Getty

Perez's future teammate, Valtteri Bottas, under contract at Mercedes until the end of the 2025 season, will not join track activities until December. The Finn driver, despite remaining active within the paddock this year, will also require extensive adaptation once the programme opens fully.

Cadillac’s decision to rely on 2023 machinery stems from F1’s TPC rules, which allow teams, or in this case, their suppliers, to run two-year-old cars without infringing on development boundaries. For a new entrant working toward an unfamiliar set of 2026 regulations, the SF-23 provides a stable reference platform to test processes without influencing next year’s design.

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Cadillac boss Graeme Lowdon outlines expectations as Sergio Perez begins transition

(R-L) Sergio Perez, CEO of TWG Motorsports, Dan Towriss, and Carlos Slim Domit pose at Teatro Telcel. Source: Getty

The Imola test was the first visible step in Cadillac’s long-term project. The team will enter F1 with Ferrari supplying the power unit, gearbox, and suspension for 2026-28 before General Motors’ own engine arrives in 2029. Leading the operation is team principal Graeme Lowdon, supported by veterans Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, with Colton Herta as reserve.

Lowdon earlier outlined the values he expected the team to uphold when they join the grid, via the Beyond The Grid podcast:

“Two things will make me really, really happy next year. One is to have the respect from competition. You earn that respect, and it means that if we have respect for the others, that’s for sure these are top teams. "We would like to have reached a position where they respect us because that’s a reflection of doing a good job. Secondly, we want to execute everything that we do to the absolute maximum. We don’t want to make mistakes. We don’t want to leave any performance on the table.”

Cadillac’s immediate focus is on refining teamwork around Sergio Perez. The Imola test will be followed by further simulator days, engineering meetings, and additional running before the winter break. Once Bottas becomes available in December, the programme will expand to include comparative work between both race drivers while the team transitions to its first true Cadillac-built chassis.

The 2026 technical rules, involving an all-new aerodynamic concept and a drastically revised hybrid power unit format, prevent any meaningful conclusions until running begins in earnest. The first major testing of the new era will take place at Barcelona on January 26, 2026, followed by two sessions in Bahrain. Only then will Cadillac get its first genuine read on the competitiveness of its inaugural F1 car and the scale of the challenge that lies ahead.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam