EYEING INSTANT IMPACT

Cadillac want to get up to speed fast when they make FI debut at Australian GP in 2026

- Deepanraj Ganesan

On the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Oct 5, all eyes were on the 10 teams who spent all weekend focusing on delivering their best performance at the Singapore Grand Prix as the Formula One season moves towards the tail end.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometres away, and away from the spotlight, the grid's Ilth team Cadillac, are hard at work at their Silverstone base.

The American side are eager to hit the ground running when they make their F1 debut in 2026 at the season-opening Australian GP with their seasoned line-up of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

That comes after American car company General Motors (GM) obtained approval in November 2024 for a team to join in the 2026 season, under the Cadillac brand.

In an interview at the F1 Pit Building on Oct 5, Cadillac boss Dan Towriss told The Straits Times that one of the main focuses of the team is on making an instant impact, as much as their emphasis on future planning.

"While we have these long-term ambitions, at the same time, we're locked and loaded on Melbourne next year," said Towriss, who is also the owner of motor racing team Andretti Global.

"We want that first race to go well, we want to compete. Yes, we are building a team for the future and want to have the right foundation, but at the same time, we're here to compete out of the gate.