Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas finished the Formula 1 Italian GP in the last two positions among the classified drivers, but Cadillac identified positive signs in Monza. The team also acknowledged that the loss of performance on the straights was their main limitation.
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Perez, who finished 18th, explained that Cadillac’s pace in the corners was closer to the rivals, but the difference on the straights made any position battles difficult: “We were losing a lot of time on the straights, which made it extremely difficult to fight against the cars around us,” he said.
The Mexican driver also revealed that the team expects to receive components capable of improving this performance, as well as counting on the next Ferrari engine: “We should have some parts arriving to help us on the straights, and with the next Ferrari engine, we hope to be in a much stronger position for the upcoming races,” he said.
Bottas, who finished 19th, assessed that the first part of the race was one of the most positive points of the weekend, with Cadillac managing to stay close to the Williams cars. The scenario changed after a slow pit stop, which put the Finn in a blue flag situation and hurt his pace: “Our race pace seemed a bit better than in previous GPs and we finished with both cars, so we are making progress,” he added.
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The team principal, Marcin Budkowski, highlighted precisely the arrival of both cars at the end of the race, despite the difficulties: “It was a hot and demanding race, but it was important to bring both cars to the end, finishing P18 and P19. There are lessons to be learned from today, and we know where the main weaknesses are,” he concluded.
Budkowski also mentioned Perez’s battle with Fernando Alonso and the blue flags faced by Bottas, before highlighting that Cadillac will take the learnings from Monza to the next stage in Madrid.
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