Cadillac finished the Formula 1 Hungarian GP with a result well below expectations. Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas retired from the race, ending the first half of the season without being able to take the team to the checkered flag.
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The double retirement increased the team’s frustration, which had been seeking to consolidate the progress made in its debut year. Despite the problems faced in Budapest, officials and drivers highlighted that recent performance shows signs of evolution before the category’s break.
Perez revealed that he faced difficulties from the start of the race: “It was a challenging race. In the first stint, I had a lot of balance problems and the car was sliding a lot, but I managed to adapt my driving style, and the second stint was much better,” he stated.
The Mexican also said that the team needs to understand what happened: “I still felt there was something not quite right with the car, so it’s important that we understand exactly what was going on. As a new team, we expect to face challenges, but it’s frustrating that we’ve had some problems recently,” he said.
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Bottas retired after facing brake overheating, despite the updates brought for the event: “It’s a shame, because we brought updates to improve brake cooling, but it wasn’t enough due to the extreme conditions and the characteristics of this circuit,” explained the Finn.
Even without completing the race, Bottas highlighted positive aspects of the weekend. According to him, Cadillac was closer to Williams than in previous rounds, an indication of progress amidst a naturally complicated first part of the championship for a rookie team.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon acknowledged the disappointment with the result but reinforced confidence in the project: “Clearly, a double retirement was not how we wanted to end the first half of the season, but building something new doesn’t happen without challenges. I have full confidence that we will come back stronger and ready to fight again in Zandvoort,” he concluded.
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