Cadillac continued its steady progression in its debut Formula 1 season, securing another two‑car finish at the Japanese Grand Prix — a meaningful achievement for a team still gathering data, refining processes and learning the nuances of the 2026 regulations.
Both cars reached the chequered flag after running split strategies, with Valtteri Bottas starting uniquely on the Hard tyre and Sergio Pérez delivering the team’s strongest race pace of the year to finish 17th.
Bottas: “Another double finish is really good for the team.”
Bottas’ race was shaped by strategy and timing. As the only driver to start on the Hard compound, Cadillac hoped to gain an advantage later in the race — but the plan was undone when he pitted two laps before the Safety Car, losing the chance for a “free” stop.
Reflecting on the day, Bottas remained upbeat. “Another double finish is really good for the team,” he said. But he acknowledged the performance deficit that left him unable to challenge the Aston Martins. “I was lacking a bit of performance, which meant I struggled to challenge the Aston Martins today, so it’s something we need to look at.”
The Hard‑tyre gamble didn’t pay off. “We tried a different strategy by starting with the Hard tyre but unfortunately it didn’t seem to work.”
Still, the Finn emphasised the progress Cadillac made across the weekend. “However, throughout the whole weekend it was much cleaner with fewer issues. We’ve learned a lot that we can use to improve for the next race.”
With a month‑long break ahead, Bottas sees opportunity. “We now head into this gap in the calendar after our first three races with the opportunity to analyze everything learned so far and spend more time developing the car.”
And with Miami approaching, motivation is high. “The mood is good in the team as we fully focus on preparations for our first home Grand Prix in Miami.”
Pérez: “Today was our strongest race so far this year.”
Sergio Pérez delivered Cadillac’s standout performance, finishing 17th and showing clear signs of improvement.
“Today was our strongest race so far this year,” he said, highlighting the team’s rapid development curve. “We’ve made a lot of progress in a short space of time, and we can be happy to get two cars past the finish yet again.”
Deployment issues that plagued Saturday were resolved by race day. “Yesterday we had some issues with the deployment and today it felt like we were on top of it.”
Pérez also noted encouraging pace relative to rivals. “We were clearly faster than Aston Martin and we can see our pace is getting stronger.”
Looking ahead, he is optimistic about the next upgrade cycle. “Hopefully the upgrades we bring to Miami will put us into the mix a lot more.”
Lowdon: “Just three races into our debut season, we can be .”
Team Principal Graeme Lowdon praised the team’s execution and reliability after another clean weekend: “Today’s result has capped off another strong weekend for us. Just three races into our debut season, we can be very proud to have achieved another two-car finish, with one car on the lead lap.”
He also explained how the Safety Car compromised Bottas’ race. “Sadly for Valtteri, he wasn’t waved past the Safety Car with time to regain his place on track, which destroyed his race.”
Still, Lowdon emphasised the team’s operational progress. “I’m particularly pleased to see another significant step forward by the whole team in terms of execution and reliability.”
With upgrades coming for Miami, expectations are rising. “We have an upgrade package coming for Miami and I’m excited to see what that can deliver — thank you to all the teams in Indianapolis, Charlotte, Silverstone and Germany for their continued hard work.”
Lowdon also acknowledged the frightening crash involving Ollie Bearman. “Finally, I was very relieved to see that Ollie Bearman was OK after his big impact.”
