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Ferrari power unit ‘tricks’ on agenda of new Cadillac F1 boss Sergio Perez in action for Cadillac New Cadillac F1 team principal Marcin Budkowski will investigate how his team is using the Ferrari power unit upon his arrival. Pointing to the early F1 2026 situation between Mercedes and McLaren, Budkowski said that understanding the “intricacies” of energy management is a “performance differentiator” in F1 2026. Budkowski admits that a power unit supplier may not always share “all the tricks of the trade,” which is part of the game in Formula 1. New Cadillac F1 boss raises Ferrari power unit question mark Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust. Though Cadillac plans to move to works team status down the line with a General Motors power unit, it began its Formula 1 journey in 2026 as a Ferrari engine customer. Cadillac announced a change of team boss over the summer break. Graeme Lowdon was dismissed, and replaced by Marcin Budkowski, the former Alpine F1 executive director. A key talking point in the first part of the F1 2026 season was understanding the new power units among works and customer teams. McLaren, during the early rounds, called out a lack of information coming from Mercedes High Performance Powertrains. Energy management is now a crucial component of F1 competition in this new era. As such, Budkowski wants to investigate whether Cadillac is making the most of its Ferrari power unit. Formula 1’s newest team is still chasing a first point after 11 rounds of the season. “Obviously we’re a customer of Ferrari. As per the regulations, we’re getting the same hardware and the same engine,” Budkowski told PlanetF1.com and other invited media. “But we’ve seen this year, probably not with Ferrari specifically, but more with a Mercedes engine, that there’s a lot of performance to be unlocked as well in understanding the intricacies of the energy management mostly, and that’s a performance differentiator. “I think that’s something we need to look at in the team as well. Are we making the most of the hardware we are getting. “The engine is competitive. It will get even more competitive with the ADUO upgrades, but are we actually using it at its full potential. “So obviously, the relationship is important, but there’s always going to be an element of the supplier will not necessarily share all the tricks of the trade for how to extract the maximum performance. “That’s a fair game, and that’s on the team’s side. It’s no blame there for Ferrari or for anyone on the grid. “There’s a part of it which is providing the best possible engine, and part of it is using it as the best. This is something which certainly I will be looking at as well when I arrive.” More on Cadillac from PlanetF1.com Cadillac F1 chief responds amid Colton Herta and Camara rumours Why was Graeme Lowdon removed by Cadillac? Dan Towriss explains shock change Valtteri Bottas’ P13 in China serves as Cadillac’s best result so far. Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists. You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more! Read next: Revealed: Graeme Lowdon’s final interview before surprise Cadillac F1 exit