Sep.12 (GMM) Cadillac is ramping up preparations for its 2026 Method 1 entry, having staged a full-scale ‘shadow race weekend’ ultimately week’s Italian GP at Monza.
In keeping with Italy’s Autosprint, the American outfit mirrored each facet of the grand prix from its Charlotte and Silverstone bases, with engineers, strategists and media employees operating by the weekend as if Cadillac was already on the grid.
The train concerned round 50 folks, with the ‘digital automotive’ up to date session by session in simulators after which analysed in technical debriefs. Technique groups rehearsed variable eventualities equivalent to tyre administration, security vehicles and climate modifications, whereas reliability conferences simulated checks on the ability unit and transmission.
“It wasn’t simply an educational train – the aim was to duplicate the complexity of a race weekend in each element,” reported journalist Ilaria Toscano.
Cadillac, led by bosses Dan Towriss and Graeme Lowdon, who had been each at Monza, reportedly first trialled this system in the course of the Spanish GP in Barcelona earlier this yr.
The scheme additionally contains mock media duties for the drivers – to be Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez subsequent yr – designed to assist rookies and veterans steadiness interviews, sponsor commitments and technical briefings.
Software program improvement is one other profit, with knowledge from the simulations feeding predictive algorithms that Cadillac hopes will sharpen its race methods by the point of its official debut in Melbourne 2026.
Towriss’ new private assistant Fiona Hewitson – who was beforehand caught up within the Christian Horner-Purple Bull saga – is now a part of the administration construction overseeing Cadillac’s Method 1 venture.
