Cadillac unveil stealth livery for private Barcelona F1 test

Cadillac have revealed a one-off special edition livery that will be used for the behind-closed doors test at Barcelona later this month.

F1 will stage a week of private testing for all 11 teams at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya between January 26-30. This will effectively be used as a shakedown run for teams to troubleshoot their new cars away from the prying eyes of media and fans.

Following this, the teams will head to Bahrain for two official pre-season tests on February 11-13 and February 18-20 before the season begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8.

Cadillac have elected to run their first F1 car in a special livery for the Barcelona test. The Ferrari-powered machine, which is yet to be named, will be driven by Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

The American outfit’s special edition testing livery was unveiled on a replica F1 car at General Motors’ new global headquarters, the Hudson’s Detroit building on Tuesday.

Cadillac says the bold monochrome design is “distinct from the official race livery” and will help conceal aerodynamic details of the team’s first F1 car.

It features the names of the founding members of the Cadillac F1 team from both the United States and the UK.

“Our new testing livery celebrates Detroit’s design heritage and the power of the global Cadillac Formula 1 team, while keeping our design secrets under wraps,” GM president Mark Reuss said. 

“The Barcelona test is just the beginning - we can’t wait to share our official race livery with fans around the world next month.”

Cadillac will reveal their 2026 season livery with an advert during the Super Bowl on February 8.

“Cadillac Formula 1 is committed to innovation on and off the track. TWG combined with General Motors allows us to rethink the norm and introduce the team in bold new ways,” Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss added.

“Debuting our race livery during a globally televised championship broadcast challenges convention and brings Cadillac Formula 1 to a global audience.

“Paired with this special-edition testing livery designed by the GM Global Design studios, we’re honouring automotive heritage while looking ahead as we build toward the 2026 season.”