Why Cadillac has changed its F1 livery from striking original look

Cadillac has transitioned from the bold asymmetric livery that defined its F1 debut, with team principal Graeme Lowdon revealing positive fan feedback from the team's one-off Miami Grand Prix design was the driving force behind the switch.

The American squad turned heads when it unveiled its striking split black-and-white livery during the Super Bowl LX halftime show earlier this year.

One side of the car was finished in stark white, the other in deep black, separated by a chevron-based gradient along the centreline. Depending on the viewing angle, the car looked like two entirely different machines.

That radical design served as the team's base livery through the opening rounds of the 2026 season, including the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

Since then, however, Cadillac has ditched the asymmetry in favour of a more conventional, unified white-and-black scheme closely inspired by its well-received Miami special.

"We've had quite a few liveries already," Lowdon said to media, including RacingNews365. "We started, as you say, with an asymmetric livery.

"We launched that during the Super Bowl halftime show, which, again, we thought was just another way of showing that the team wants to approach Formula 1 a little bit differently.

"We said we would try and bring a few different things to Formula 1. I think that was a really positive move, and we ran that livery for a while."

Fan reaction shaped the decision

The Miami Grand Prix one-off saw a more conventional approach, still built around the black-and-white base tones. It proved popular, and it clearly left an impression on the team's decision-makers.

"We then ran a livery in Miami, which was really well received by the fans, and we took account of that," Lowdon explained. "The livery we have now is actually quite similar to that Miami livery.

"Then, in the middle of that, we introduced the livery to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence."

That particular one-off, a bold red, white and blue stars-and-stripes scheme, appeared at Silverstone on the Fourth of July weekend, with "USA" adorned on the back of the rear wing.

Aside from the evolving look of the MAC-26's livery, Cadillac has brought a steady stream of upgrades to its car across the opening nine grands prix, including a substantial aerodynamic package featuring new sidepods and a revised floor at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Despite those efforts, the fledgling team sits 11th and last in the Constructors' Championship without a point to its name, a best finish of P13 and seven retirements from its first 10 rounds with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel.

But Lowdon sees the changing look of the car and the relentless development push as part of the same philosophy.

"As a team, if you look at not just livery changes, but if you look at upgrades, I think we're pretty high up there on the count of upgrades that we've brought to the car," he said.

"Again, I think it's just a reflection of the way we've tried to approach the entry into Formula 1. It's never been about just getting here.

"It's always been about trying to get here as a team and do what all the other teams do, which is push the boundaries. We're not just sitting back, whether that's upgrading the car or experimenting with the livery as well. As I've said, the fan reaction has been really positive as well."