Cadillac team boss Grim Loudon has said the team will use a fully legal engine for the 2026 season, following controversy over Mercedes’ engine cheating allegations.

During the winter months, Mercedes, and possibly Red Bull, reportedly found a way to increase the engine compression ratio above the new 16:1 limit while the cars were on track. Moreover, during measurements made in boxes at normal temperatures, turning the compression to 16:1 provided an increase in power. At the Melbourne round it was estimated that this time could go up to 0.3 seconds per lap, or up to 17.4 seconds over the 58-lap circuit.

The new player in the championship, Cadillac, will be a customer of Ferrari and the team has already run the engine at Silverstone.

“I am very pleased and confident that we have a completely legal engine,” Loudon said.

“In these engines, combustion is not allowed to occur at a compression ratio of more than 16 to 1.
Without going into detail, we know that Ferrari complies fully with the rules and this gives us great confidence.

We work and support our engine partner at the maximum level in terms of performance. We are extremely pleased with the cooperation.

I can’t speak for other people’s engines or how others interpret the rules. But for me everything is extremely clear; everything is black and white.”

I have worked with Ferrari many times before; they are great partners. This is a legendary name in Formula 1. “All the people on this team are true racers, and we’re excited to welcome them to the Cadillac team.”

At the beginning of last week, Ferrari officially announced that Lewis Hamilton’s chief engineer Riccardo Adami was leaving his post to become chief tester of previous cars and head of the team’s youth academy.

Hamilton and Adami worked together in the Briton’s first season with Ferrari in 2025. However, their collaboration has repeatedly come under scrutiny due to intense radio exchanges during races. On the eve of the new season, the team decided to separate the sides.

Given the quick appointment of a replacement following the termination of Adami’s contract, it became clear that this was not part of the Scuderia’s original plans. Kimi Raikkonen’s former engineer, Carlo Santi, has temporarily taken over as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer from Riccardo Adami.

At the same time, a number of exclusive media are reporting that Ferrari has reached an agreement with former McLaren engineer Cedric Michel-Grosjean at the beginning of the 2026 season. He was previously the Woking team’s chief track performance engineer, working closely with Oscar Piastri until his sacking last December.

Formula 1’s first pre-season tests before the 2026 season start on Monday, January 26, at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit.

Due to the introduction of new regulations regarding powertrains and active aerodynamics, this year’s testing program starts earlier than usual ahead of the season’s opening race in Melbourne.

Instead of one three-day test, there will be three separate testing sessions before the Australian Grand Prix. The first of these will be a five-day closed test in Barcelona.

Testing will take place from January 26 to 30, but each team will only be allowed to practice on three of the five days.

While McLaren and Ferrari confirmed that they will not be on the track on the first day of testing, Williams will miss the Barcelona session completely after its decision to withdraw.

Daily races will take place between 10:00 and 18:00 Kyiv time. If weather conditions are suitable, work on the runway may be extended for another hour.