Cadillac made history by competing in its first Formula 1 race at the Australian GP, finishing the race with Sergio Perez in 16th and Valtteri Bottas being forced to retire due to a fuel system problem.
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Perez evaluated the team’s debut positively: “Our first race as a team is complete. Finishing the race is incredible and a true achievement, just one year after the confirmation of the team’s entry into F1. Now we need to focus on adding performance to truly compete aggressively. We are feeling competitive within the team, and that is the attitude we need going forward to reduce the gap and aim for something big,” he said.
Bottas, for his part, highlighted the historical importance of the weekend, even with the retirement: “We made history as a team today. Our first GP, we are here, competing, and that is a source of pride for everyone. It’s a shame that the race was cut short for me by a fuel system problem, but we learned a lot. The team did a great job to finish the race with Checo’s car. There are many positives to take from this weekend, and we are only at the beginning of this journey. I enjoyed the process and can’t wait for China to try again,” the Finnish driver stated.
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Team principal Graeme Lowdon highlighted the team’s performance and confidence for the future: “I am very happy with the team’s performance. We had some problems with Valtteri’s car, which was a shame. It was great to see Cadillac take its first car to the end of the race. We are competing against incredible opponents, whom we respect very much, but I have enormous confidence in the team we are building. This is a great start to our journey. I want to especially thank everyone on the team, in Indianapolis, Charlotte, Silverstone and in Germany, with the wind tunnel. Finally, a big thank you to everyone who allowed us to build what I believe will be a very special racing team,” Lowdon concluded.
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