Cadillac chief Graeme Lowdon backs Ferrari over 2026 F1 engine amid brewing controversy over regulations for new season | F1 News

Cadillac chief Graeme Lowdon says he is happy that Ferrari have provided his team with a “fully legal engine” amid a developing controversy over the new power units for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Brand new power units are being introduced for the new season, along with new chassis, in what many consider to be the most radical regulation changes in the sport’s history.

Ahead of the season, which begins with the Australian Grand Prix on March 8, a controversy has been brewing regarding different approaches taken by the engine manufacturers to the compression ratio limit imposed by the regulations.

Mercedes, who supply four of the grid’s 11 teams, and Red Bull, who make engines for themselves and junior squad Racing Bulls, are understood to have found a way to have their power unit adhere to the regulations when it is tested stationary, but then reach a higher ratio when it is running but not subject to checks.

New entrant Cadillac have joined in Haas in having their engine supplied by Ferrari, who along with Audi and Honda have reportedly not built in technology that would allow a higher compression ratio when the car is running on track.

Asked whether he had any concerns over suffering a performance deficit as a result of the situation, Lowdon told Sky Sports News: “What I’m very confident and happy about is we have a fully legal engine.

“With these engines, the combustion is not allowed to take place at a compression ratio above 16 to 1.

“Without going into too many details, we know that Ferrari have completely followed the rules where that stands. That gives us a lot of confidence.

“In terms of performance, we work and support our power unit partner to the absolute maximum. We’re very happy with the relationship.

“I can’t really talk for other people’s power units or how they’ve interpreted the regulation. But to me, it’s extremely clear it’s there in black and white.”

Red Bull chief: A lot of noise about nothing

Red Bull engine chief Ben Hodgkinson has already dismissed suggestions his team’s power unit could be in breach of the rules, describing the dispute as “just noise”.

Speaking as Red Bull launched their 2026 car last week in Detroit, Hodgkinson said: “I think there’s some nervousness from various power unit manufacturers that there might be some clever engineering going on in some teams.

“I’m not quite sure how much of it to listen to, to be honest. I’ve been doing this very long time and it’s almost just noise.

“You just have to play your own race, really. I know what we’re doing. I’m confident that what we’re doing is legal.

“Of course, we’ve taken it right to the very limit of what the regulations allow. I’d be surprised if everyone hasn’t done that. My honest feeling is I suspect it’s a lot of noise about nothing.”

‘Ferrari are great partners’

A major factor in the approval of Cadillac’s entry to F1 was that parent company General Motors agreed to manufacture their own engines, but with those not expected to be ready until 2029, the team needed to source power units until then.

A deal was swiftly agreed with Ferrari in December 2024, and Lowdon says he is generally very pleased with the arrangement.

“I’ve worked with Ferrari a number of times before,” he said. “They’re great partners. It’s an iconic name in Formula 1 as well. All of the people in that team are real racers as well, and we welcome them into the Cadillac Formula 1 team as well.

“They don’t just provide us with a power unit, they provide us with some technical support in terms of people who join the team. It’s great to have them on board.”

Cadillac became the first team to run a 2026 Ferrari power unit last week as they held a private shakedown at Silverstone, with the Italian team set to follow suit themselves later this week ahead of the first of three pre-season testing events, which is taking place in Barcelona from January 26-30.

“I guess we were first to fire up. We fired up last year, and now we’re shaking down. Every time you do anything with a Formula 1 car, you’re learning,” Lowdon added.

“So, I’m just really happy that we’ve reached yet another milestone on this journey towards the start of the season.”

When is F1 pre-season testing?

The introduction of new regulations means there is a robust schedule of three separate testing events before the start of the 2026 season.

The first is a behind-closed-doors event in Barcelona from January 26-30, before two tests follow in Bahrain from February 11-13 and 18-20.

When is the first F1 race?

The teams then have two weeks to prepare for the opening round of the season, which is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6-8.

The first practice sessions of the season will take place on Friday 6 March, with Qualifying on Saturday 7 March and the opening race on Sunday 8 March.

Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime