Cadillac completes its first F1 qualifying session despite "all kinds of problems"

Cadillac's entry into the World Championship of Formula 1 This was accompanied by a first weekend rich in learning. At the Australian Grand Prix, the new team contested its very first qualifying session with two cars entered, a symbolic step in building its program. The raw results remained modest, with Sergio Pérez eighteenth in 1:22.605 and Valtteri Bottas Nineteenth with a time of 1:23.244, 3.737 seconds off the best time at the end of Q1. But for the American team, the objective of the weekend went far beyond simple lap time performance.

"It was a very difficult weekend leading up to qualifying."

Having been absent from Formula 1 qualifying for almost a year, Pérez has had to contend with a program disrupted by several technical issues and limited track time. Under these circumstances, the Mexican driver prefers to focus on the work done by the team to prepare for the session. "It was a very difficult weekend up until qualifying. We weren't able to do many laps, with a lot of problems. So I'm very happy with the work done by the team, operationally as well, they did a fantastic job. I really hope that tomorrow we'll be able to have a good race."

The driver mentions an accumulation of difficulties that complicated the development of the car. "All kinds of problems. Fuel pumps, adjustments, seating position, really everything." Despite these obstacles, Pérez believes that this type of situation is part of the normal process for a team starting out in the discipline.

In his assessment of the session, the Mexican nevertheless emphasizes the importance of this first qualification contested with the new structure. “Today was a really special day. The team put in a tremendous effort to be present with both cars, achieve a high-level qualifying performance, and maximize our potential. Despite a difficult session, I'm happy with the balance we found and my lap time. I simply want to repeat this performance tomorrow. For now, I'm ready to move forward and have a solid race; the goal is obviously to finish the race.”

"We are lacking in performance."

On the other side of the garage, Bottas also finished in Q1 before the start of the Australian Grand Prix, but the Finn insists above all on the importance of having been able to complete all the sessions of the weekend. “It was great to be here for our first qualifying session as a team. Q1 wasn’t without incident with the red flag, but I’m happy we were able to complete all the sessions this weekend. We’re ready to race tomorrow, so that’s another success.”

The pilot believes that the current performance simply reflects the stage of development of the project. “We’re lacking performance, but it’s a work in progress, and it will come. We had to start somewhere, and the direction we need to take is now quite clear regarding the areas for development and how to improve the car. For tomorrow, we’ll aim to optimize our strategy, identify opportunities, and secure a victory with both cars.”

A working basis for what comes next

Team manager Graeme Lowdon also expressed satisfaction with the overall progress of the session despite the results. "I am extremely satisfied with the team's performance. We have always said that we would evaluate ourselves on our ability to execute our tasks and function as a team, and we did that very well today."

The initial strategy called for three attempts in Q1, but a red flag disrupted the planned program. “Our strategy was to run three passes, but unfortunately the red flag changed everything. Valtteri [Bottas]'s car lost a lot of time on the back straight and we need to understand why we didn't exploit the full potential of the car"Despite everything, it's a fantastic team effort for our very first qualifying session. It gives us a solid foundation for tomorrow's race."

For Cadillac, this first qualifying session is primarily a step in building a long-term project. With two cars on the grid and initial data gathered in real-world conditions, the American team now approaches its first Australian Grand Prix with the primary objective of reaching the finish line and continuing its learning process in Formula 1.

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