Perez Tests Out Black Ferrari for Cadillac F1
Sergio Perez, in a black Ferrari, has given the F1 world a taste of what’s to come from its newest American team! The Mexican will lead Cadillac in its first-ever season in F1. Whereas it continues to develop its own engines, it’ll be a Ferrari customer until they’re developed.
The Black Ferrari Test
Cadillac and Perez took the track at the historic, fast Imola Circuit in Italy, which is home to their engine manufacturer. The Italian sun was shining on Perez and the Cadillac team as the 2023 black Ferrari took the track for the first time.
For everyone involved, there was a lot of excitement but also anxiety. Especially for Sergio Perez, as this was the first time he was behind the wheel of an F1 car of any kind since he was with Red Bull in 2024.
Perez said, “I’m curious, you know, to find out how many laps my neck will do before it gets destroyed. But it’s great, you know. It’s a great test and a great way to finish the year before getting back in the car next year. It’s basically just a time for us to be able to get together with the engineers and mechanics, start working all together, you know, start talking the same language.”
Preparations and the Future
Cadillac tested a 2-year-old, painted-black Ferrari because it was all they had available. Because, as the 11th and brand new F1 team, Cadillac didn’t have a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) program. But they needed a test to build on their simulator, give their new hires a feel for what it’s like to work as a team, and get Perez up to speed after not being in an F1 car for almost 2 years.
So Ferrari gave them a black Ferrari to test out. The 35-year-old Mexican completed his seat fit at Maranello last week ahead of this test and afterwards will head back to their Silverstone factory to do more simulator sessions ahead of the year for them to be more accurate. Plus more meetings with the team as the new season gets closer.
“I think it’s great to get the running, and also the timing works perfectly because it’s just before the January test,” says Perez, who is back to racing weight and fitness, before getting back in the car.
“On these two days, on the physical side, I want to see how much I’ve lost and where I need to work. It will give me a very good guide for the winter to be able to focus on that stuff.”It is also a chance to start working together with the team, with the engineers, and with the mechanics, and start to speak the same language. It’s definitely a great time for us.”
Cadillac’s other driver, Bottas, couldn’t drive the black Ferrari due to still being under contract with Mercedes as their reserve driver. Ferrari didn’t only give them a black Ferrari, though. 30 Ferrari team members helped the 20 Cadillac members during their first time together with an F1 car.
The Team Principal on the Black Ferrari Test
According to the Cadillac team principal, Graeme Lowdon, the objective of the Ferrari loan was to give his team a first chance to work together in an actual trackside environment and to provide all-hands-on practice with a current-spec F1 car to drill procedures.
“Actually, current team testing is kind of what we’re interested in. We want to use a car, because in all of the simulations that we mentioned, we try to make it as real to life as possible,” Lowdon said.
“I think everyone gets a little bit wrongly concerned that in some way we can get an advantage by testing someone else’s car or something. But we’re not testing the car; we’re testing the people.
Gaining Advantage
“Yes, we are looking to gain the advantage, but not from anything to do with the car. The advantage that we want is for our mechanics to have the same experience that all the mechanics in this pit lane are having every day working with each car.”
He added, “You have to get the mechanics used to that muscle memory of operating an F1 car. You have to be able to stick tire blankets on, and then there’s just the size of a car and the heat that comes off one, and the presence that they have.”Thanks a bunch for reading!
