Cadillac’s F1 debut shows promise but points remain out of reach
Summary
Cadillac’s debut F1 season with Perez and Bottas has yet to score points after three races, but lap‑time gains versus Aston Martin and a driver line‑up give hope as team eyes points before mid‑season.
Cadillac entered Formula 1 in 2024, backed by General Motors and a veteran driver line‑up of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. After three races the team has yet to score points, with a best finish of 13th in China, but its early lap‑time gains versus Aston Martin suggest a rapid learning curve.
Why it matters:
- An American factory team expands F1’s market, bringing GM’s resources and a power‑unit program slated for 2029.
- The experienced driver duo gives Cadillac instant credibility and a clear performance benchmark.
The details:
- Drivers: Perez (108 podiums) and Bottas (106 podiums) match the career totals of legends Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso.
- Performance: The MAC‑26 was within a second of the Aston Martin AMR‑26 across the first three races, hitting 103.9 % of the Q1 benchmark in Australia and 102‑plus % in China and Japan.
- Reliability: Fuel‑system failures sidelined Bottas twice, and energy‑deployment glitches cost the cars 0.3‑0.5 s per lap.
What's next:
- Aerodynamic upgrades are planned, starting with a re‑profiled diffuser that Bottas says added rear‑end load in Japan.
- Cadillac targets its first points before the season’s midpoint and aims to close the 1.3‑second gap to the Q2 cut‑off.
Original Article :https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-cadillacs-...