Source : @F1
AUSTIN — Cadillac will race a one-off livery inspired by the western wear of the American West at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, with Formula 1 showcasing the design on social media ahead of the new team’s first race at the Circuit of The Americas.
The sport’s official X account shared the look on Tuesday (Oct 20) with the caption: “Cadillac are looking terrific in Texas”, alongside the hashtags #F1 and #USGP. The accompanying graphic, headlined “Cadillac reveal special Austin livery”, shows the car from the side and the rear in a rustic, barn-like setting, finished largely in white, silver and black with ornate scrollwork. The number 11 of Sergio Pérez is visible on the bodywork, along with sponsor branding including TWG, IFS and Jim Beam.
According to Cadillac, the design was developed in a top-secret project completed over a few weeks, led on the General Motors side by Vincent Traina, a design manager at the GM Performance, Motorsports and Accessories studio who grew up in Dallas. The team settled on a motif inspired by western wear, with nods to the chain stitching of blue jeans and vintage cowboy shirts and the scrollwork of fine saddlery. “It looks like the whole livery is embroidered right onto the car, which is really cool,” Traina told GM News.
Several Easter eggs are hidden on the cars, including embroidered depictions of the Austin skyline and a map of the circuit. The livery also features 50 stars representing the United States, cacti representing Texas and a horseshoe with its heels facing up, a symbol of good luck. Drivers Valtteri Bottas and Pérez will wear custom race suits that echo the theme.
The work was a collaboration between GM Design in Michigan and designers at the team’s technical centre in the UK. Jamie Thresher, a senior design visualisation CG artist, admitted the brief was demanding. “Of all the themes we came up with, this was probably the hardest one we could have picked,” he said. “Rendering each individual stitch and executing it well in a digital illustration is hard.”
It is the third one-off livery Cadillac have run this season, following special designs at the Miami Grand Prix in May and the British Grand Prix in July. “In Miami, we drew on American symbols. At Silverstone, we celebrated American colour. For Austin, we wanted to explore another part of that story through the character of the American West,” said Cassidy Towriss, Chief Brand Advisor for the team. Haas have also revealed a special livery for the race, according to RaceFans.
The car will also be driven by American Colton Herta in first practice on Friday in place of Pérez, RacingNews365 reported, giving him a Formula 1 session on home soil.
On track, Cadillac’s debut campaign has been a steep learning curve. The team have yet to score a point, with Pérez finishing 17th and Bottas 19th at the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct 11. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ championship on 340 points, 102 clear of team-mate George Russell.
The United States Grand Prix weekend runs from Oct 23 to 25, with qualifying at 4pm local time on Saturday and the 56-lap race starting at 3pm on Sunday, which is 4am on Monday (Oct 26) in Malaysia. The original Formula 1 post can be viewed on X: https://x.com/F1/status/2112548139249094931.
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