Cadillac had a challenging weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix in Formula 1, and Valtteri Bottas revealed that car problems had a direct impact on his performance. The Finn stated that the MAC-26 was not ‘100%’ during the Montreal stage, a situation that compromised his confidence behind the wheel.
Read more F1: Ferrari prepares update package for Barcelona and projects gain of up to 0.2s per lap
Bottas finished the race in last place among the drivers who completed the race, four laps behind the winner Kimi Antonelli. According to the experienced driver, the unstable behavior of the car throughout the sessions made any attempt to find a consistent setup at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve difficult.
“We had some setup problems in Montreal, the car was very different in each session and even in the race there were some things we couldn’t fix, so the car was not 100%,” Bottas told the press.
The below-expected performance had already been noticed even before the Canadian stage. Bottas had difficulties keeping up with the pace of teammate Sergio Perez, who again had the advantage both in the Sprint qualifying and in the qualifying session for the main GP.
In the Sprint qualifying, the eight-tenths difference to Perez was further increased by a red flag caused by Fernando Alonso, which prevented Bottas from completing his second fast attempt. Even so, the performance difference between the two drivers remained similar throughout the rest of the weekend.
Read more F1: Victor Martins praises Verstappen’s «passion for motorsport»
Besides the setup difficulties, Bottas indicated there was another problem affecting his competitiveness: “We are still not at a point where I can have good confidence in the car, but we also know that my power was not 100%,” said the 36-year-old Finn.
In 2026 Cadillac is competing only in the first races of its Formula 1 project and is still evolving. Even in the face of difficulties, Bottas highlighted that the team constantly works to find solutions and accelerate the car’s development.
When asked about the team’s main focus at this moment, Bottas answered directly: “Performance.” The driver explained that improvements need to happen both in the mechanical and aerodynamic areas: “We need to improve in both areas and find new parts, but updates are coming practically every race, and that is a positive thing,” concluded the experienced driver.
Read more F1: Red Bull rebuts McLaren’s criticism of B teams
