(Motorsport-Total.com) – At the 2026 British Grand Prix in Silverstone (follow all sessions here in the Formula 1 live ticker!), the US team Cadillac will not compete in its usual white and black color design, but will show its true colors: The two MAC-26s of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will be in blue, red, and white this weekend.
Read more Formula 1 tires 2026: Which compounds at which Grand Prix?
The special color design is no coincidence: it is based on the colors of the US national flag. Furthermore, the United States of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence on July 4th – Saturday in Silverstone.
“For us, this is an opportunity to show our continued pride in representing the United States on the global stage of Formula 1,” explained Cadillac team boss Dan Towriss. “We want to seize the chance to introduce new audiences to the sport.”
For this, Cadillac is forgoing its asynchronous color scheme, which surprised at the start of the season – all other Formula 1 teams rely on synchronous color designs and sometimes significantly more intense colors. Only in Silverstone does the US racing team want to set a “visual sign.” (Photo gallery: The Formula 1 special designs 2026)
Cadillac drivers push for better reliability
However, Cadillac must also prove itself on the racetrack: At the Austrian Grand Prix, the team was plagued by reliability problems. Both drivers retired from the race within a few laps due to brake defects. Now team principal Graeme Lowdon said: “We have worked incredibly hard to fix these problems.”
Read more «Maintain development»: Toto Wolff praises progress of George Russell
Cadillac’s goal is to have a “clean weekend” in Silverstone. Because the technical updates introduced in Spielberg showed “positive results,” said Lowdon. “We now want to fully exploit the existing performance potential, even if we are aware that this is a big task so soon after Austria.”
The Formula 1 special designs in the 2026 season
But the drivers are pushing for quick solutions. Perez said: “We now need to focus on fully stabilizing the fundamentals. To develop our car and the team as quickly as possible, we need to collect mileage and gain data in every session.”
Bottas expressed similar sentiments: “Austria was a disappointing race [with] my third consecutive retirement. Therefore, the top priority now is to have a more robust car that can reliably finish races.”
Read more «Maintain development»: Toto Wolff praises progress of George Russell