Cadillac had its strongest weekend to date at the 2026 F1 Monaco GP. Sergio Pérez had finished the race in P10 but was awarded a post-race penalty. Meanwhile, teammate Valtteri Bottas had retired on lap 15 of the 78-lap 2026 F1 Monaco GP following a brake issue.
The 2026 F1 Monaco GP weekend served as yet another example of Pérez outperforming Bottas on track. However, as the Finnish driver had clarified in Montreal, the deficit is due to technical problems faced only in his car.
The former Mercedes driver also shared that Cadillac was actively working on resolving these issues to align both MAC-26’s performances.
Bottas on Cadillac’s support throughout tough 2026 F1 Monaco GP weekend
The Finnish driver gave an update on the progress of his MAC-26 since the 2026 F1 Canadian GP in the print media pen after Monaco.
He shared that while the power unit problems were resolved, there were still some issues on the chassis side when compared to his teammate’s package.
“No. I mean, the power unit side was okay, but we see the chassis side. Still, something is a bit off.”
Bottas also spoke on Cadillac’s support at the 2026 F1 Monaco GP. He revealed that the team was very encouraging despite his early retirement on lap 15 due to a brake issue, understanding the limitations he currently faces.
“No, no. They can see from yesterday that I’m fully on the limit, on the grip limit of the car. They know that if I go faster, I will run off the road. So yeah, really supportive. We know that we’ve got to get the cars more aligned.”
The performance deficit to Pérez
The F1 Monaco GP showed that Pérez has an advantage in terms of pace compared to Bottas once again; however, the Finnish driver is not letting himself get too affected by it. He believes he will be able to prove his true pace once the issues on his MAC-26 are resolved.
Bottas also reflected that he would rather face this situation in the early stages of the 2026 season. In his opinion, Cadillac is still in the experimental stages of their first campaign.
He added that the team is not as competitive as they aim to be yet. Nonetheless, Cadillac’s performance at the 2026 F1 Monaco GP is very encouraging.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s better now than, you know, later when we improved. So, now, you know, we are still sadly not fighting for the points yet. It’s when we get closer that’s when it really matters. So, now it’s really, again, about the learning. Trying to get more consistency on the car build, all the parts, everything, and we’ll get there.“
