Cadillac’s essential weak point revealed after Q1 exit on F1 debut

March 8, 2026

4

Cadillac’s first qualifying session in Formula 1 led to a double Q1 exit on the Australian Grand Prix, with the American automotive’s flaws now apparent.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas did not emerge out of Q1 in the newly named MAC-26 regardless of three drivers being unable to set a single lap time. They certified down in 18th and nineteenth respectively, greater than 4 seconds off the tempo; Perez was 1.3 seconds slower than Sixteenth-placed Franco Colapinto, whose last-gasp effort earned him Q2 entry.

But for F1’s latest crew, performing reliably was a victory in itself, particularly after the likes of Aston Martin and Williams encountered terminal points.

“You know, it is our first ever qualifying session, we were on the schedule, we managed to get the car there on time; obviously disrupted by red flags like everyone else, but we’ve turned up to each session, we’re going to be turning up to the race tomorrow,” Bottas mentioned.

“So we’ve got to start somewhere, and now we see that we are definitely lacking performance, and the direction is pretty clear on where to push and how to develop the car.”

Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images by way of Getty Images

“It was a very challenging session for us today,” Perez added, having accomplished solely 16 laps on Friday resulting from a gasoline system drawback and a hydraulic leak. “Leading as much as qualifying, we’ve not accomplished any laps, so I believe qualifying went rather well by way of procedures, by way of maximising what we’ve got as a automotive. And that is all I can ask for now.

“It’s obviously clear on the lap times that we have a lot of work to do. It’s been a massive effort for the team to be here, both cars doing qualifying at a very high level. Now we need to [look] at the lap time, and we’ve got a lot to find.”

So the place’s that lap time deficit coming from? Had Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Williams’ Carlos Sainz been capable of get a lap in, the cutoff level for Q2 may need been much more elusive.

Read Also:

With Perez 3.3s slower than the quickest Ferrari-powered automotive – specifically Charles Leclerc’s – the reply unsurprisingly lies with downforce and mechanical grip.

“We see that probably the big thing with the car now is we’re lacking load,” Bottas analysed. “We’re simply dropping in all of the nook apexes, we won’t carry sufficient pace, so there’s heaps to work on, heaps to enhance. But, once more, we needed to see what was the start line and that is the place we’re at.

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 by way of Getty Images

“It’s a big gap, that’s for sure, but it is a starting point. As you know, some of the car designs had to be released very early just to have something, so there will be developments coming in the next races and throughout the season.”

As far as tomorrow’s race is worried, factors is likely to be an unrealistic goal except super attrition happens – which isn’t unplausible with the brand new energy models nonetheless encountering teething issues.

“All I can ask for tomorrow is to do the same, you know, get a solid race,” Perez merely mentioned. “Hopefully tomorrow we are able to actually have a robust race, maximise no matter is feasible.

“I think it’s going to be chaos tomorrow. It’s going to be a video game race tomorrow. So, I just hope I can have fun.”