The 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP ended on a disappointing note for Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas, who faced his second consecutive DNF. The Finnish driver had retired on lap 15 of the 66-lap race.
While Bottas is frustrated by the early end to his 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, the Finnish driver shared that he is encouraged by the upgrades Cadillac plans to bring to Austria. The ten-time race winner is looking forward to regrouping at the Red Bull Ring.
Bottas on Cadillac’s performance at the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend
Valtteri Bottas’ early retirement at the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP was said to be a precaution in response to an overheating issue with his MAC-26. Hence, this marks the 36-year-old’s third DNF of the season, thus far all caused by car issues.
Following the end of the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Bottas was asked what caused the end of his day.
To which the Finn replied: “No [I don’t know why], not yet. Yeah, still investigating. I can’t say.”
Valtteri Bottas had started the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend on a more encouraging note compared to the end. The Finnish driver shared that he was excited by the way the car felt on Friday during FP1 and FP2. He had finished both sessions in P18 and looked much more competitive against Sergio Pérez.
However, the 36-year-old soon encountered reliability issues with his MAC-26 starting from FP3. Bottas had caused a red flag during the session after suffering brake issues with his Cadillac. He had gone off track and was beached in the gravel trap at Turn 10.
“Yeah, the weekend started well. I was pretty happy on Friday. You can have a nice, clean weekend with the car feeling 100%, but it just kind of fell off with the first issue we had in FP3.”
With Monaco and Barcelona marking back-to-back DNFs, Bottas added that the team will prioritise resolving reliability issues.
“Two DNFs now in a row, so it’s not ideal. So reliability is still a big topic for us.”
Cadillac plans to bring new upgrades to Austria
Valtteri Bottas had been forced to use an older aero specification for the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP following the problem in FP3.
The Finnish driver shared that using it did have an impact on his performance. However, he is excited about the upgrades the team will bring to the 2026 F1 Austrian GP.
“Yes, they did. But we’ve got some new stuff coming for the next race, so hopefully it’s going to be better.”
Nonetheless, despite the incoming upgrades, Bottas reflected that the reliability issues have to be solved first to extract the full potential of the MAC-26.
“It should be decent. It should be decent. So far, what we’ve put in the car has worked. So I suppose we’ll get closer again in Austria.
“But the main concern is now, and again, at the very beginning of the year, is the reliability. As I said, two DNFs in a row. It doesn’t matter how good the car is if you can’t finish the race.”
“Yes, we’ve got to reset again and try again in Austria. That’s the name of the game.”
