Cadillac made its long-awaited Qualifying debut at the 2026 F1 Australian GP at Albert Park. With Sergio “Checo” Pérez and Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel, the American manufacturer completed its first competitive qualifying session in Formula 1. It marked a milestone moment for the new team.
However, the performance gap to the established teams was clear. Both drivers acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead. They emphasised that simply reaching qualifying and putting both cars on track was an important first step for the new outfit.
Pérez reflects on challenging first Cadillac F1 2026 Australian GP Qualifying
For Sergio Pérez, the session marked his return to qualifying action in Formula 1 after a year away from the grid. The Mexican driver described the day as difficult. However, in the print media pen he highlighted the progress made in executing procedures and gathering valuable data for the team.
“Yeah, I think it was a very challenging session for us today. Leading up to qualifying, we haven’t done any laps, so I think qualifying worked really well. There’s some procedures in terms of maximising what we have as a car. And that’s all I can ask for now.”
He continued: “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. It’s a very high level, but this is all done. And now we need to see the lap times, and we’ve got a lot to find.”
With Cadillac still learning the operational details of running a Formula 1 car across a race weekend, Pérez explained that simply completing laps and building consistency remained the immediate focus.
“I haven’t been able to get any rhythm. I was happy with the balance, I was happy with the lab, with the procedures. So yeah, step by step. All I can ask for tomorrow is to do the same. Get a solid race.”
Pérez enjoying return to qualifying atmosphere
Beyond the technical challenges, the 36-year-old admitted that returning to the intensity of a qualifying session was a personal highlight after his time away from the sport.
“Yeah, it feels nice, you know, feeling qualifying adrenaline again. That was something nice I missed. Yeah, from now on, really go forward. Hopefully tomorrow we can really have a strong race. Maximise whatever is possible. I think it’s going to be a chaos tomorrow. It’s going to be a video game race tomorrow. So I just hope I can have fun.”
Bottas sees Cadillac qualifying as an important starting point
Teammate Valtteri Bottas echoed the sentiment in the print media pen that the session represented an important baseline for the team’s development programme. The Finnish driver praised the work of the mechanics and engineers for getting the car ready despite the disruption caused by red flags during the session.
“Yeah, exactly. 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 it’s something, you know, we’ve turned up to each session. We’re going to be turning up to the race tomorrow, so we’ve got to start somewhere. Now we see that we’re definitely lacking performance, and the direction is pretty clear on where to push and how to develop the car.”
Performance gap highlights development work ahead
While completing the 2026 F1 Australian GP Qualifying was an achievement, Bottas admitted the lap times revealed a sizable gap to the rest of the field, even to Aston Martin and Alpine just in front. However, he stressed that the current car represents only an early stage in Cadillac’s long-term project.
“It’s a big gap, that’s for sure, but it is a starting point. As you know, some of the car designs have to be released very early just to have something, you know, so there will be developments coming in the next races and throughout the season.”
The 10-time Grand Prix winner also noted that the new generation of cars introduced for 2026 presents unique handling characteristics, with Cadillac still ironing out technical inconsistencies.
“It is different. You know, the cars are definitely sliding around more, which I don’t really mind, but yeah, with the PU there’s still some inconsistencies there. Like on my last lap I was missing a lot of deployment on the straights, which for some reason it still can happen. The system is still not bulletproof, but it’s still a problem for today, but not only for us.”
Cadillac targeting improvements as season begins at the 2026 F1 Australian GP
Despite the difficulties, Bottas believes the team already understands where the biggest gains must be found, particularly in aerodynamic load, which currently limits cornering speed.
“For sure. We can smoothen out everything, minimise any issues for sure, but also we see that probably the big thing with the car now is we’re lacking load. You know, that’s the main thing. We’re just losing in all the corner apexes. We can’t carry enough speed, so yeah, there’s lots to work on, lots to improve, but again, we have to see what the starting point of this will be.”
As Cadillac prepares for its first F1 race, the 2026 Australian GP weekend serves primarily as a learning exercise. Development updates are expected throughout the season. Pérez and Bottas will aim to gather as much data as possible in Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, the team begins its long journey toward competitiveness.
