Cadillac crosses the finish line and recognizes progress against the competition, but the team still lacks a lot for points – upgrade in Miami
Does a major update in Miami finally bring Cadillac closer to the Formula 1 competition? The newcomer has mastered its first races in the premier class and once again brought both cars to the finish line in Suzuka – that is the team’s main goal for now. Now, however, the next step must be taken in terms of performance.
Because the Americans still have no chance there. Although they were able to leave both Aston Martins behind in qualifying at Suzuka, the truth is that they were more than a second down on the drivers in front.
It is also difficult for Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas to fight against anyone other than Aston Martin in the race: Perez’s gap to the car in front of him was around 26 seconds in Suzuka.
Despite this, the Mexican is encouraged after the weekend in Japan: “I think we have improved at every Grand Prix,” he says. “This is the first Grand Prix where everything went more or less smoothly.” Apart from a small problem with the power delivery on Saturday, everything was uncomplicated.
Competition “not that far away”
In addition, Perez was able to keep an eye on the competition on Sunday while they were still within reach. “When I was chasing – I was fighting against the Williams and the Alpine at the time – I could see that they weren’t that far away,” he says. “They are simply able to consistently find more and more pace.”
He also recognized that other teams use energy differently than Cadillac does. “I think we need to work on that.”
However, there are still plenty of construction sites for the newcomer. The biggest: “At the moment, the main issue is the load, that’s where we’re lacking the most. The balance itself is not that bad, it’s just that we lack load,” says Perez. “It is clear that we are still missing a second.”
Does the upgrade bring Cadillac closer?
According to Bottas, the cars are also inconsistent with each other: “We see some differences between the two cars over the weekend,” he notes. “Sometimes one has more power, sometimes one has more downforce, so I think the quality also needs to be a bit more consistent.”
In China, the Finn clearly had the upper hand within the team, but in Japan it was Perez who clearly performed better. Cadillac’s learning curve remains fairly steep, “but overall it’s still all positive,” says Bottas. “We had another much cleaner weekend with fewer problems. I’m still in a positive mood.”
In theory, things should get better with every race. During the long April break, the team now also has the opportunity to analyze the start of the season and implement what they have learned. At the home race in Miami at the beginning of May, they want to start fresh and take the next step with a major update.
“We’ll be bringing the upgrade to Miami,” confirms Perez. “That will be the biggest test for us. I really hope that we can take this step to be in the midfield.”