Cadillac president Graham Loudon said he was satisfied Ferrari had provided the team with a “completely legal engine” amid controversy surrounding a new power unit for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
A brand new power unit will be introduced for the new season, along with a new chassis, which many consider to be the most fundamental regulation change in the history of the sport.
Ahead of the season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8, controversy is brewing over the different approaches taken by engine manufacturers to the compression ratio limits imposed by the regulations.
Mercedes, which supplies engines to four of the grid’s 11 teams, and Red Bull, which makes engines for itself and junior team Racing Bulls, comply with regulations when testing their power units stationary and are not subject to checks, but are understood to have found a way to reach higher ratios while on the road.
New entrant Cadillac also joins Haas in getting its engines from Ferrari, but Ferrari reportedly does not incorporate the same technology as Audi and Honda to enable higher compression ratios for track driving.
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Cadillac will be the 11th team on the grid, and the last time new team Haas competed in F1 was at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.
Asked if there were concerns that performance would suffer as a result of the situation, Loudon told Sky Sports News: “What I’m very confident and happy with is that we have a completely legal engine.”
“These engines do not allow combustion at compression ratios greater than 16:1.
“I won’t go into too much detail, but we know that Ferrari is fully compliant with the rules, which gives us great confidence.
“In terms of performance, we will fully support and cooperate with our power unit partners. We are very satisfied with this relationship.”
“I can’t speak for other people’s power units or how they interpreted the regulations. But for me it’s very clear that it’s black and white.”
Red Bull president: “There’s a lot of fuss about nothing”
Red Bull engine boss Ben Hodgkinson has already dismissed suggestions that the team’s power unit may be breaking the rules, describing the controversy as “just noise”.
When Red Bull unveiled its 2026 car in Detroit last week, Hodgkinson said: “I think the various power unit manufacturers are worried that some teams are doing some clever engineering.
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Craig Slater tells you everything you need to know from the launch of Red Bull and the Racing Bulls from Detroit, home of new engine partner Ford.
“To be honest, I have no idea how much to listen to. I’ve been doing this for a long time and it’s mostly just noise.
“Really, you just have to run your race. We know what we’re doing. We’re confident what we’re doing is legal.”
“Of course, we took it to the limit that the regulations allowed. I’d be surprised if people didn’t do it. My honest feeling is that this is a lot of fuss about nothing.”
“Ferrari is a great partner”
A key factor in Cadillac’s approval to enter F1 was that parent company General Motors agreed to build its own engine, but the engine is not expected to be completed until 2029, and the team would need to procure a power unit by then.
A deal was quickly agreed with Ferrari in December 2024 and Loudon said he was generally very happy with the arrangement.
“I’ve worked with Ferrari many times before,” he said. “They’re a great partner. They’re an iconic name in F1. Everyone on that team is also a real racer, and we welcome them to the Cadillac F1 Team.”
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Rachel Brooks looks at how Cadillac could become the 11th team on the F1 grid in 2026.
“Not only are they providing us with the power unit, but they are also providing us with technical support in terms of personnel joining the team. It’s great to have them on board.”
Cadillac held a private shakedown at Silverstone last week, becoming the first team to use the 2026 Ferrari power unit, and the Italian team will do the same later this week ahead of the first of three preseason test events in Barcelona from January 26 to 30.
“I think we were the first to flare up. Last year we flared up and now we’re slowly shaking down. Every time we do something in an F1 car, we’re learning,” Loudon added.
“So we are really pleased to have reached another milestone on this journey towards the start of the season.”
When does F1 pre-season testing take place?
With the introduction of new regulations, a strong schedule of three separate test events is planned before the start of the 2026 season.
The first test will take place behind closed doors in Barcelona from January 26th to 30th, followed by two more tests in Bahrain from February 11th to 13th and 18th to 20th.
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F1 has outlined new regulation changes for 2026, including a replacement for DRS, in a plan to allow closer racing next year. Video provided by F1.
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The team will then have two weeks to prepare for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6th to 8th.
The first practice session of the season will take place on Friday, March 6th, followed by qualifying on Saturday, March 7th and the opening race on Sunday, March 8th.
Sky Sports F1 lets you watch all 24 race weekends of the 2026 F1 season live. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
