In an interview with F1TV, Graeme Lowdon reflected positively on the first week of 2026 Bahrain testing for the Cadillac F1 team after an encouraging start to its track programme. The new F1 team completed over 1700 kilometres across testing. Lowdon emphasised the productive nature of the week following Barcelona shakedown runs. The team focused on exploring car behavior and performance rather than addressing reliability issues.
Productive week exploring car performance in 2026 Bahrain testing
Lowdon summarised the opening week of 2026 Bahrain testing as highly productive. The team transitioned from addressing small problems in Barcelona to performance-focused running in Bahrain.
“Very productive, you know, we came here after a productive week at the shakedown in Barcelona where we were dealing mainly with small problems and the objective here in Bahrain was to start exploring the car and how it reacts to setup changes and starting to look more at performance and race runs,” Lowdon stated.
The kilometre count impressed Graeme Lowdon during his 2026 Bahrain testing assessment. The massive mileage represented significant progress for Cadillac.
“I’m really happy with the progress that we’ve made. I think we completed somewhere in the region of over 1700 kilometres and that’s huge considering how much running that we’ve been able to do as a team up to now, so I’m really happy,” he explained.
Experienced drivers provide quick feedback during 2026 Bahrain testing
The value of Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas became evident during 2026 Bahrain testing. Lowdon highlighted how their experience accelerated the development process. The drivers provided quick and accurate feedback throughout the week.
In response regarding the feedback received by the drivers, Lowdon stated “Yeah, it’s good. I mean, as you say, the drivers are both experienced, we chose them specifically for that and of course their speed and their performance.”
The ability to trust driver feedback immediately proved crucial for Lowdon during 2026 Bahrain testing. Both drivers had dealt with new cars and team situations before.
“But what’s been really good is we’re getting very, very quick and accurate feedback because this is not the first time that either of them have dealt with a new car or even a different team situation, so that’s one area that’s really helped is just being able to get that feedback and know that it’s pretty accurate straight away,” he added.
No major concerns heading into factory work
Lowdon confirmed no specific areas of concern emerged from 2026 F1 Bahrain testing. The team will focus on general progression across all areas. No particular problem requires immediate attention from the engineering department.
“We’ll just generally look to move forward in all areas, there’s nothing too concerning in any area. Formula 1 is relentless and so we know that we just have to keep pushing forward,” Lowdon stated.
Daily progression impressed the Cadillac team principal throughout Bahrain testing week. He observed improvements in both team operations and car behavior. “But it’s just been so useful and every single day I’ve seen the progression in how the team operates and how the car operates as well,” he explained.
Car evolution continues beyond Melbourne
Cadillac F1 team plans continuous development beyond the season opener. Lowdon emphasised the car will evolve significantly not just for Melbourne but also Shanghai. The team refuses to view the first race as the ultimate target after 2026 Bahrain testing.
“It will be different, but a lot of the car itself is going to progress a lot, not just Melbourne, but Shanghai. As a new team we can’t afford to just stand still,” Lowdon stated.
The team principal warned against the common mistake new teams make. “And it’s one of the biggest things when a team comes in, the mistake that a team can make is to see the first race as the target and we don’t view it that way, we’re constantly looking at whatever’s coming next,” he explained.
Graeme Lowdon expects Cadillac’s evolution to match other established teams.
“So I think you’ll see the evolution of this car the same as many other teams,” he concluded.
