Cadillac F1 Debut: Perez 16th, Bottas Retirement in Australian GP
Melbourne, Australia – Cadillac’s debut in Formula One at the Australian Grand Prix on , marked a historic moment for General Motors and American motorsports, though the on-track results were modest. Sergio Pérez finished 16th, three laps down on race winner George Russell, while Valtteri Bottas retired early due to a fuel system issue.
The Cadillac Formula 1 Team, competing as a constructor for the first time since 2016, completed all nine pre-season testing days, accumulating 3,935km of data. Qualifying proved challenging, with Pérez starting 18th and Bottas 19th, 3.1 and 1.4 seconds off the pace respectively. Notably, the three drivers who qualified behind the Cadillacs – Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Lance Stroll – did not set lap times.
Despite the performance gap, team principal Graeme Lowdon expressed satisfaction with the team’s first race weekend. “We’ve seen again, it’s not easy,” Lowdon told Motorsport.com. “There were a few people who didn’t even take the start. So really satisfied that we got one car home. Obviously, we necessitate to work on pace, that’s a given thing with a new team.”
Bottas’ race ended prematurely on lap 16 with a fuel system problem, following an earlier pit stop for a new steering wheel. Lowdon acknowledged the frustration of a non-powertrain issue causing the retirement. “It was a real shame actually, because clearly there’s a steering wheel problem and that’s really extremely frustrating because obviously we don’t make steering wheels,” he said. “And so to be let down by that is just not great. So, we need to look into that and get that improved.”
Pérez’ race included a spirited battle with Liam Lawson, a rivalry stemming from previous on-track incidents. While the battle provided a brief highlight, Pérez ultimately lacked the pace to contend for points, finishing 2m28s behind Pierre Gasly in 10th. The team experimented with a two-stop strategy late in the race, switching Pérez to soft tires on lap 43 after the first virtual safety car period.
“We decided to proceed from a one-stop strategy to a two because we might as well, there was no threat from behind by that stage,” Lowdon explained. “Both Astons had failed or maybe even one of them had stopped by then. So, there was no risk behind. And it just made sense to do that, give Checo a sense on the other tyre.”
Despite the challenging debut, the team views the weekend as a valuable learning experience. Bottas echoed Lowdon’s sentiment, noting the team was “racing with some cars” and managed to stay ahead of Aston Martin, though Aston’s Honda power unit issues contributed to that outcome. “even though I’m standing here [early in the media pen after retiring], I’m still proud of the whole team. And I’m very happy to be back. This is part of the learning curve,” Bottas said.
Pérez also emphasized the significance of completing the race, particularly given the issues encountered during practice. He experienced a fuel system problem and a hydraulic leak on Friday, limiting his running. “Today was the longest [stint Cadillac has done],” Lowdon added. “We got so much extra data. It would have been absolutely great to get both cars back, primarily for both drivers, but also for the team and the amount of information, the amount of data that we could get.”
Looking ahead, Pérez stressed the need for significant development to close the performance gap. “The first step is done,” he stated. “As a team, completing the race was incredible. It’s a shame Valtteri couldn’t complete it, but overall it was a great one. A great recovery for the weekend, we started with a lot of issues.” He continued, “But I think from now on, obviously honeymoon is over. Now, we need to do big steps forward, we need to put a plan on the team to move along and close the gap, which I believe we can do. But obviously we are all very competitive inside the team, and that’s the attitude we need from now on, to be able to close the gap and aim for something big this year.”
The primary performance deficit appears to be a lack of downforce and mechanical grip, as Bottas pointed out on Saturday: “We’re just losing in all the corner apexes, we can’t carry enough speed.” Addressing this will be crucial for Cadillac to develop into competitive. Lowdon remains optimistic, stating, “I genuinely believe we will get there and we’ll start closing in.”