It’s no secret that the Cadillac F1 Team has experienced numerous trials and tribulations over the past three Grands Prix, but this past result proved to be their most promising performance yet. Sergio Pérez finished in P17 at the 2026 Japanese GP while his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, finished in P19, both positions which aren’t necessarily desirable but have become a pillar of improvement and something for the team to be proud of as they head into the five week break before the Miami GP.
Takeaways for Cadillac and Pérez after the Japanese GP
The new regulations have proved to be challenging for many of the teams as they navigate the energy deployment and new strategical aspects involved in the racing. For Cadillac, they’re only just starting to crack the code. The team experienced some reliability issues during the Free Practice sessions during the Japanese GP weekend, and unfortunately for them had issues with the energy deployment in Qualifying which set them at P19 and P20 on the grid.
Despite being knocked out in Q1, the team put their cars on the grid ahead of both Aston Martins which was an accomplishment to be proud of.
When it came down to the actual race performance, the biggest thing Cadillac seemed to lack was pure pace. In a post-race interview at the print media pen following the 2026 F1 Japanese GP, Sergio Pérez explained that Sainz, Colapinto and Albon could ease away from him.
“It was quite interesting. When I was following, I was racing at the time in the Williams, the Alpine. I could see that they are not too far away. They’re just able to consistently keep finding pace and pace and pace.”
Despite the reliability issues that have been inherently holding them back, they’re not off the mark in terms of being in the fight with the Alpine and Williams cars, and that was especially true after their performance in Japan.
“This is the first Grand Prix that more or less everything has been straightforward.”
With anything new, there are always growing pains, but Cadillac is taking them in stride. Being the first new team since Haas back in 2016 will come with its challenges, not to mention that the team is primarily built upon talented people who haven’t necessarily worked together before. Different dynamics and skills take time to mesh together, but it seems like the Cadillac F1 Team is on the right track.
Coming back stronger in Miami
With the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, teams have found themselves in the midst of a five-week break before they head to the iconic Miami International Autodrome.
Unlike the summer and winter breaks where the FIA enforces a ‘shutdown’, teams will have the opportunity to take their learnings from Australia, China and Japan and come into the Miami GP with any necessary improvements. For teams at the back of the grid like Cadillac, Aston Martin and Williams, this is a prime chance for them to reassess and come back stronger. Upgrades will be key as well.
Sergio Pérez spoke on the hopes for the Miami GP and having an upgrade.
“I really hope that we are bringing a big upgrade for Miami. And I think will be the biggest test for the team, I think we’ve been progressing every Grand Prix.”
Miami will be a new bench marker for all of the teams as it will showcase who was able to take the data from the first three Grands Prix and bring improvements.
“I could see encouraging signs. I think there is some work to do also with the deployment. I could see that they were deploying differently to us, a few of the teams, something to work on. But I think the main thing is that we need load. Obviously we are bringing it up in Miami and it will be the biggest test for us.”
The improvements speak for themselves. In comparison to where the Cadillac F1 Team finished at the Australian GP and the Chinese GP, the result at the Japanese Grand Prix proves the team is making the right steps to becoming a competitive car.
The possible upgrades in Miami will try to close them in on the teams in front. Whether or not the changes will be significant enough to propel them up in the ranks, any improvements and learnings taken away from this break in the season will be beneficial.
