F1 News: Pat Symonds starts work for Cadillac F1 team

Pat Symonds has left F1 where he was their Chief Technical Officer and has announced that he has started work as the Executive Engineering Consultant for the Cadillac Formula Racing F1 team.

“I am delighted to announce that today, January 1st, I officially take up my new role at Cadillac as we build our team to contest the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.

“It is an exciting challenge as, if the 2026 pre-season testing follows the pattern of 2014 (when we last had a new power unit), we have less than 400 days until the car runs.

“General Motors (GM) have a long motorsport tradition, and I remember as a young boy seeing the Chaparral 2F win the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch. Jim Hall, the man behind Chaparral always acknowledged the contribution GM made to that program. More recently through their Chevrolet and Cadillac brands they have been competitive in sports car racing in addition to being a power unit supplier to IndyCar. From Le Mans to Talladega and sports cars to stock cars, they know how to win. At the same time, as the pinnacle of motorsports, they fully respect the innovation and excellence required in Formula 1 and what it will take to build the team to replicate the success they have enjoyed in other series.

“Our first Formula 1 car will use a Ferrari power unit and transmission pending the development of the all-new Cadillac power unit. Building a Formula 1 car is a daunting but well documented task. The timelines and gateways are well established, and the team already has plenty of experienced personnel who have been designing and developing the car for some while. Alongside them others have been putting into place the necessary processes to ensure we can adhere to the tight timelines and unwavering quality required of Formula 1.

“In parallel to this, we are building the infrastructure to support our challenge at our base in Silverstone.

“Starting with the proverbial ‘clean sheet of paper’ presents far more opportunities than it does challenges. The team will be built around not just the highest engineering standards but also the highest ESG standards as we work toward making it the best team to work for in Formula 1.

If you are up for the challenge and can meet our demanding standards check out our vacancies and apply to join our adventure.”