Cadillac Suffers Double DNF in Austria as Brake Fires End Both Races

Cadillac's Austrian Grand Prix ended in disaster as overheating brakes and fires forced both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas into early retirements. Having started toward the back of the grid as the American squad finds its feet in Formula 1, the double DNF denied Cadillac any chance of gathering valuable race data.

Why it matters:

Every lap is crucial for a team still adapting to Formula 1, and losing both cars to an identical failure is a costly setback. The overheating issue has surfaced multiple times during Cadillac's debut season, raising serious questions about its brake cooling package and overall reliability.

The details:

• Bottas was the first to sound the alarm, reporting that his brakes were on fire just a handful of laps into the race. He immediately peeled into the pits, where his car was sprayed with extinguishing foam.
• Moments later, teammate Perez radioed that smoke was filling his cockpit and also came into the pits to retire.
• Cadillac confirmed overheated brakes caused both failures, an unwelcome repeat of a problem that has already struck earlier in the 2026 campaign.
• Starting procedure: Perez is also under investigation for moving before the start signal, adding a regulatory headache to an already miserable afternoon.

What's next:

The team must urgently fix its recurring brake temperatures before reliability defines its debut campaign. With limited testing and every race weekend vital for development, Cadillac cannot afford many more afternoons where both cars are extinguished in the pit lane rather than finishing on the track.