Formula 1 had a day of modest progress for Cadillac at the 2026 Canadian GP on Friday. Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas missed out on SQ2 of the Sprint Qualifying in Montreal, but the team positively assessed the performance shown at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
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Pérez secured 17th position on the Sprint grid, while Bottas finished 20th. Both drivers were close to a spot in SQ2 but were ultimately hindered by a red flag at the end of the session, which prevented further fast attempts after the restart.
Checo highlighted that Cadillac managed to maximize the available performance this Friday. “We made good changes before the Sprint Qualifying and were very close to SQ2, but in the end, there wasn’t enough time for everyone to complete another lap,” said the Mexican.
The driver also emphasized the importance of the Sprint to gather data for the rest of the weekend in Canada. “Our main goal is to learn as much as possible before the race, especially since Sunday could have tricky conditions,” he added.
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Bottas regretted the lack of opportunity to complete his final lap but believes the team is evolving. “Even if the results don’t show it now, I feel we are making progress,” said the Finn. “We changed quite a bit on the car for this weekend, including a different chassis, and it feels better.”
The team principal, Graeme Lowdon, stated that Cadillac took “another step forward” in Montreal. According to him, the team managed to improve the car between TL1 and the Sprint Qualifying, despite a session marked by interruptions. “I think both cars had a real chance to reach SQ2 on the last attempt, but unfortunately, we didn’t cross the line in time after the restart,” he concluded.
