Cadillac finished the qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix of Formula 1 with Sergio Perez in P19 and Valtteri Bottas in P20. Despite the positions at the back of the grid, Perez assessed that the team managed to extract the maximum from the car and reduce the gap to Williams and Aston Martin.
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The Mexican missed out on Q2 but considered his lap strong, after the team adopted an aggressive approach in the qualifying program. For Perez, the performance also showed operational evolution of Cadillac throughout the weekend.
“We did a very good job as a team. We maximized our package and further reduced the gap to Williams and Aston Martin ahead. Although it was not enough to advance to Q2, it was a really strong lap,” said Perez.
Bottas had more difficulty finding the car’s limit and pointed out a deficiency in high-speed corners. The Finn was also hindered by traffic after being the first car to go out at the start of the session: “We know we are losing in high-speed corners, and it is a difficult track, with so many blind spots,” he added.
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The team principal, Marcin Budkowski, assessed the qualifying session as reasonable and highlighted Perez’s work to extract the available potential. About Bottas, he regretted that the driver was clearly disturbed on his fast lap while still trying to adapt to the lower grip found during the session.
For the race, Cadillac expects a demanding event, with heat and strong pressure on the tires and drivers’ concentration. Budkowski highlighted that avoiding problems and taking advantage of every opportunity will be key, while Perez also believes the race can offer chances for advancement.
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