Cadillac announced it will bring updates to its car gradually throughout the Formula 1 season, seeking a recovery on the grid. In the debut at the Australian GP, the American team was far from the midfield: Pérez finished 16º, 56 seconds behind Carlos Sainz and 2min28s behind the last point-scoring position. The car was 1s4 slower than the one immediately ahead.
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“We expected it, we knew it. This car was made a long time ago, it’s something basic; they had to homologate it early,” said Pérez. Valtteri Bottas stated that the problem is not with the Ferrari power unit: “The limitation is definitely our car. We are losing quite a bit of load, especially at the rear. But when we start gaining more load, we will have more margin to work with.”
Asked about structural problems, Bottas clarified: “I don’t see major fundamental problems. The difference is in the subtle details compared to the top teams. There is still a gap to the cars in front, but many things are in progress for the next races.”
The Finn also spoke about the updates: “In the first four or five races we will have something coming in terms of aerodynamics. We will already have performance, but we will have to figure out how to find bigger steps.”
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Pérez added that the evolution will not only be aerodynamic: “We will take big steps operationally and in strategy. Our last stop was competitive, but we could have done better.” He spent 18s951 in the pit lane, against 17s649 and 17s664 for McLaren and Ferrari; Audi was only 0s035 faster.
Confident in the team’s ability, Pérez stated: “I would be surprised if Cadillac had difficulty developing the car. I hope that by the summer break we will have already scored some points. This team is new, but with all the resources and a lot of experience, with people who have been doing this for over 20 years.”
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