00:00McLaren, though, needs to bridge the energy gap to works team Mercedes.
00:07Oliver Rowland, 2024-25 Formula E world champion and manager of F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad,
00:14says that he's thrilled to see his protege get a seat at the pinnacle of motorsport.
00:20Rowland, who has been in Lindblad's camp for more than a decade,
00:23says that the young Brit deserves his shot,
00:26having stepped up to F1 with Red Bull's sister team, Racing Bulls.
00:31Lindblad, who is just 18, is expected to demolish his more experienced teammate Liam Lawson,
00:36who was demoted from Red Bull's top team last year after just two races in Australia and China.
00:43I mean, I've had Arvid since he was seven years old.
00:45He was my first driver in my karting team.
00:49And ever since then, I've kind of looked after him as a mentor, coach, a manager.
00:54So, yeah, it's great to see him in F1. He deserves it. He's young.
00:57And I'm really excited to head to the first race in Melbourne.
01:05Cadillac says it wants to earn the respective rivals during its debut season,
01:09given the compacted timeline in getting to the grid,
01:12following its approval from F1 to join the sport in November 2024.
01:17The General Motors brand has had to start from scratch with everything other than the power units and gearboxes,
01:24which it will buy in from Ferrari until it builds its own from 2029.
01:29The new American squad is moving forward, though, with lots of leading expertise,
01:35especially from its foundation drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas,
01:39who are both returning to the grid after a season on the sidelines and are keen to get started.
01:45But while Cadillac is expected to be near the back,
01:48the new operation has taken pride in how it goes racing, even from day one.
01:55It was very gratifying in Barcelona that we got a lot of compliments from other teams about our garage layout,
02:02how we prepared the cars and everything like that, said Pat Simmons, Cadillac's engineering consultant.
02:11Spanish Circuit Barcelona has been handed a lifeline,
02:14with the Montmelo venue inking F1's first alternating deal with Belgium's circuit-spar Franco-Champ until 2032.
02:24Barcelona was on the chopping block post-2026,
02:27given rival Madrid had signed a deal to host the Spanish Grand Prix until 2035 at the Madring circuit,
02:33around the Ephema Exhibition Centre.
02:35But the CataluƱan track has since kept its place on the calendar with races in 2028, 2030 and 2032
02:43to alternate with Belgium, which will host in 2026, 2027, 2029 and 2031.
02:51F1 is keen for more alternating deals to not just take advantage of surging interest in hosting races,
02:57but for flexibility.
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