Cadillac consultant Pat Symonds sends a clear message ahead of the Formula 1 season opener – the team intends to earn the respect of its competitors through hard work.
Cadillac consultant Pat Symonds has made it clear that the new, eleventh team in Formula 1 aims to “earn” the “respect” of its established and more experienced competitors through its approach to its debut season.
While it will take some time for the true pecking order in the field to emerge, Cadillac at least does not appear to be completely out of the running. The 107 percent hurdle that team boss Graeme Lowdon regularly had to contend with in the past with his then start-up team Manor seems to be a distant memory.
However, rather than setting tough targets in the form of championship positions or points, Cadillac hopes to prove itself as an established and respected Formula 1 organization over the course of 2026. Its big ambitions are more long-term.
Cadillac wants to be taken seriously
“It’s quite difficult to put a number on it,” says Formula 1 veteran and Cadillac technical advisor Pat Symonds after regular driver Valtteri Bottas completed a total of 107 laps on Wednesday, the first day of testing in Bahrain. “But one thing is really important: that we earn the respect of the other teams.”
“That’s particularly important to me because I think we deserve that respect. And that doesn’t just apply to the car, but to our entire way of working. It was very gratifying that we received a lot of praise from other teams in Barcelona – for our garage layout, the preparation of the cars, and all those things.”
Symonds adds: “When the other teams evaluate their spy photos, as everyone does, I hope they will also respect certain design elements of our car.”
No design trends overlooked
On the other hand, Symonds explained that analyzing the opposing vehicle concepts at the shakedown in Barcelona gave Cadillac a good feeling about its own design decisions. No obvious trends had been overlooked.
“Yes, I think so,” said Symonds. “There are many very nice details on our car. I was a little surprised when I saw all the cars in Barcelona and noticed this variety in detail. It was more than I had expected, which is a great thing. But we don’t seem to be completely off the mark on any point.”
“We have, of course, conducted a comprehensive competitive analysis and feel pretty comfortable with where we stand and where we are headed. There are many nice parts on the other cars, but basically exactly what I expected.”
Aggressive update pace planned
Despite the cautious target, Symonds announced that the team would take an “aggressive” approach to development during the season. He promised that the as-yet-unnamed Ferrari-powered car would receive significant upgrades for the first race in Melbourne.
“I think we have a very solid process in place for that,” he replied when asked how confident he was that Cadillac would be able to consistently develop the launch car throughout 2026.
“That’s actually something very impressive about this team. We know what we have to do within the budget cap. We already have a pretty aggressive development program planned.“
His conclusion: ”In Melbourne, you’ll already see a car that’s significantly different from this one in many areas—as will be the case throughout the pit lane. So I’m pretty confident that we can deliver that.”
