Cadillac's Spanish GP pace offers encouragement despite reliability concerns

Cadillac showed encouraging race pace in Spain, though points remain elusive. Sergio Perez was running 17th when a water leak ended his race, but he matched Alexander Albon's pace for much of the afternoon.

Why it matters:

For a maiden-season backmarker, competitive pace is vital. It shows the MAC-26 has potential, even if reliability and tyre degradation still hold the team back.

The Details:

• Perez jumped from 18th to 16th at the start and shadowed Albon, both on medium-to-hard strategies. He was 0.403s slower in the first stint, then 0.351s quicker on hards until his issue.
• "That's the most positive thing of the weekend: we were with them since lap one all the way through the end," Perez said.
• Bottas had a tougher race, finishing at the back and managing brake temps with lift-and-coast throughout. "The car is still not robust enough," he said.
• Cadillac has 11 retirements/non-starts in 2026, fewer than Aston Martin's 15 but more than Williams' seven.

What's next:

Cadillac will target its best results yet — 18th in qualifying, 14th in races — in Baku, where lack of downforce shouldn't be as costly. Bottas is more hopeful there, as the circuit's high-speed corners are mostly flat out.