Cadillac will once again bring an upgrade for the MAC-26 to Austria—according to team principal Graeme Lowdon, the team aims to “gradually close the gap to the midfield”
Cadillac has announced that it will bring another “extensive upgrade package” for the race weekend in Austria. As expected, the new U.S. team started out as a backmarker in Formula 1, but has gradually improved its performance thanks to continuous updates to the MAC-26.
These included a revised rear wing and exhaust in Monaco, followed by further improvements to the rear wing and cooling system in Barcelona, where Sergio Perez qualified just 1.9 seconds behind the fastest Q1 time and finished 1.2 seconds ahead of the Aston Martins.
Cadillac is maintaining this pace of development for the race at the Red Bull Ring as well, before heading to Silverstone the following week.
“The races are now coming in quick succession, and managing these logistical demands while simultaneously increasing our competitiveness is one of the key challenges at this stage of the season,” explains Team Principal Graeme Lowdon.
“However, we’re pleased to be able to bring another comprehensive upgrade package this weekend. With new sidepods and a new underbody, this represents a significant amount of work, and we hope it will allow us to continue on our current path and gradually close the gap to the midfield,” says Lowdon.
“We’re not underestimating the challenges in Austria, but we’re constantly learning, and I’m confident we can make further progress this weekend,” the team principal emphasizes.
Sergio Perez narrowly missed the points in a turbulent race in Monaco due to a retroactive penalty, before a more difficult weekend in Spain followed. However, the Mexican is convinced that the new parts will move Cadillac further up the pecking order.
“It feels like we’re improving from race to race, and we learned a lot of valuable lessons when we saw the checkered flag in Barcelona,” says Perez.
“The development pace is very good; everyone at the factory is working flat out to bring new parts to the track, and hopefully this weekend’s upgrade will allow us to take the next step,” says the Mexican.