Cadillac's F1 debut hits bumps in Barcelona testing

Cadillac's new Formula 1 team encountered a series of technical problems during its second day of on-track testing in Barcelona, with driver Sergio Perez revealing the squad is "fighting issues" as it races to prepare for its debut season.

Why it matters:

As a completely new constructor built from the ground up, Cadillac's early development phase is critical. The problems encountered now, while expected for a new project, highlight the immense challenge of reaching a competitive level in the complex world of F1, where reliability is as important as raw pace.

The details:

• Sergio Perez completed 66 laps on Thursday, the team's second day of running after its initial track debut on Monday.
• Perez described the day as "much better" in terms of data collection but confirmed the car faced multiple issues.
• The problems were widespread, affecting the power unit, chassis, and electronics systems.
• The team has signed two highly experienced drivers for its maiden campaign: Sergio Perez, returning after a year out of F1 since 2024, and Valtteri Bottas.

What's next:

The team has a significant amount of work to analyze the data and rectify the faults identified in Barcelona. With the season approaching, Cadillac is under pressure to improve reliability with every test run. Perez's return adds valuable experience to the development process, but the clock is ticking for the new squad to transform its promising project into a race-ready package.