Cadillac Formula 1 left Madrid’s Madring Circuit with a split result from the track’s inaugural Spanish Grand Prix, with Valtteri Bottas classified P18 and Sergio Pérez retiring after 33 laps with a suspected water-system issue.
Bottas, who started from P19, sustained damage in a Turn 1 incident on the opening lap that compromised his race from the outset. Despite managing persistent brake temperature problems across 57 laps, the Finnish driver brought the MAC-26 to the checkered flag. “The brake temperatures were an issue we had to manage quite a lot throughout, and the nature of this track highlights a lot of the issues that we have, but we know where we need to improve and we will keep working on it,” Bottas said.
Pérez delivered a more encouraging performance before his retirement. Starting from P18, the Mexican driver climbed as high as P15 during the opening phase, holding off Yuki Tsunoda and running within a second of Alexander Albon’s Williams before the car was pulled from the race. “Our race was going really strong up until the moment we suffered with a suspected water system issue,” Pérez said. “I think it’s been one of the strongest weekends we’ve had as a team so far, pushing everything to the limit.”
Team Principal Marcin Budkowski acknowledged the mixed outcome while drawing positives from Pérez’s pace. “Checo had a great first lap, gaining several positions and was racing against the Williams and the Racing Bulls before we had to retire the car with a Power Unit issue,” Budkowski said. “We opted for a strategy aimed at maximizing race disruptions but it didn’t quite pay off.”
The team now turns its attention to the Baku City Circuit, where the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is scheduled for September 26.