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Formula 1 Cadillac Formula One Team Cadillac has revealed a one-off livery for its first Formula One car, which will be used for the private test event teams are attending in Barcelona later this month. The American squad has chosen a monochrome look, but this will not be the design it uses in competition this year. The design is the result of a collaboration between F1’s newest team and the General Motors Global Design team, and it was unveiled at GM’s global headquarters in the United States on Tuesday. Cadillac’s official race livery, expected to be “distinct” from the shakedown design, per its news release, will be unveiled on February 8 in a TV commercial to air during the Super Bowl. This is our Barcelona Shakedown livery. Here's what that means: pic. twitter. com/pk XBFvd0hy — Cadillac Formula 1 Team (@Cadillac_F1) January 13, 2026 “Our new testing livery celebrates Detroit’s design heritage and the power of the global Cadillac Formula 1 team, while keeping our design secrets under wraps, ” said Mark Reuss, President of General Motors. “The Barcelona test is just the beginning — we can’t wait to share our official race livery with fans around the world next month. ” According to the news release, the Barcelona livery is a “design created specifically for the demands of preseason development, ” which strikes a balance teams need to work around between promoting their brand identities and masking aerodynamic details on new cars during the preseason testing phase of the season. Advertisement There is a personal touch in the livery that goes deeper than the branding. Etched in the design will be the names of the founding members of the team. As a further step to camouflage the design, Cadillac’s livery will feature a vertical geometric pattern in a gloss and matte finish. Cadillac’s design is bold, even in monochrome. The Cadillac logo covers the back half of the car, and according to the news release, the crest was placed intentionally to “disguise the aero surfaces. ” This approach has been seen before in F1 and across other motorsport categories. By using a camouflage livery, teams aim to confuse rivals assessing the competition’s aero parts. As F1 is introducing all new cars in 2026, this has taken on an added significance. The Barcelona running on January 26-30 is also a closed event — designated a ‘shakedown’ by F1 — so teams can test fundamental car functions in private ahead of the official preseason testing sessions in Bahrain in February. As there will be no independent media on-site during the Barcelona running, teams using a camouflage design will make it harder for rivals to analyze their cars from photos taken by official team photographers. Williams will also use a one-off livery at the Barcelona event, with the team set to reveal its full-season colors at an event on February 3. The timing of the Barcelona event also means it will take place before some teams’ official launch of their 2026 cars. Aston Martin is holding its season launch in Saudi Arabia on February 9, while Mc Laren will do likewise in Bahrain on the same day. In previous years, teams would reveal their cars or liveries before any preseason running, but the complexity of introducing all-new cars has altered the 2026 preseason. Examples of teams using one-off liveries in shakedown or test events in recent years include Red Bull’s 2018 car and the car Sauber/Alfa Romeo fielded in 2022. Madeline Coleman is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering Formula One. Prior to joining The Athletic, she served as a writer and editor on Sports Illustrated’s breaking and trending news team. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her master’s degree from the University of Florida. Follow Madeline on Twitter @mwc13_3