Cadillac F1 team has completed their first ever pre-season testing in Bahrain after two productive weeks and 266 laps on the board. As Cadillac prepares for their F1 debut in Melbourne, the team leaves Sakhir encouraged by progress, reliability, and a growing understanding of their new car.
Team Principal Graeme Lowdon, Sergio Pérez, and Valtteri Bottas all expressed satisfaction with the progress made. Valtteri Bottas recorded the team’s fastest time of 1:35.290 during Bahrain testing. Minor issues surfaced, as expected for any new team, but Cadillac’s pre-season testing delivered the mileage and baseline package the team had targeted.
Lowdon satisfied with Cadillac’s productive pre-season testing
Graeme Lowdon reflected positively on Cadillac’s pre-season testing program in Bahrain. The Team Principal acknowledged minor issues while emphasising overall satisfaction with progress.
“We’ve had a really productive two weeks out here in Bahrain. A few small issues here and there, just like any other Formula 1 team, but all in all we can be very happy with the progress that we’ve made,” he stated.
The team’s pre-season testing established a strong foundation for their inaugural season. Lowdon highlighted the baseline package developed during the Bahrain sessions.
“We’ve got a good baseline package that sets us up well for our first race in Melbourne. It’s a massive achievement to get to where we are now, and I’m extremely grateful and proud of everyone in the team for all their hard work,” he added.
Pérez encouraged by balance and direction
Sergio Pérez expressed enthusiasm following Cadillac’s pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Mexican driver highlighted the team atmosphere and car balance developed during the sessions.
“I’ve really enjoyed this pre-season testing period. The atmosphere in the team feels great, we are going in the right direction, we’ve got a good, balanced car and covered a lot of mileage,” Pérez stated.
The extensive running during Cadillac pre-season testing provided crucial learning opportunities. Pérez noted the continuous development process as the team gains experience.
“Every lap we are learning more and now it’s about developing and putting performance on. There’s always more to do, but I’m happy going into this short gap to Melbourne and excited to get back out on track in race mode,” Pérez stated.
Bottas focused on understanding and refinement after pre-season testing
Valtteri Bottas set Cadillac’s fastest lap during pre-season testing with a 1:35.290. The Finnish driver emphasised maximizing track time to improve understanding of the new car.
“Today we wrapped up pre-season testing after a productive two weeks in Bahrain. We’ve continued to maximise our time spent out on track to better our understanding of the car, refine how we operate as a team and identify the areas we need to focus on,” Bottas stated.
Bottas outlined how the team will now shift from track running to detailed analysis as preparations continue for Melbourne, with attention turning to fine-tuning procedures and narrowing development priorities ahead of the opening race weekend.
“We’ll now look to review the valuable data gained as part of our final preparations ahead of the team’s first-ever race. Everything we’ve done so far has been building toward our debut. We can’t wait to finally go racing,” he concluded.
Cadillac F1 team will now to Melbourne with confidence after completing 266 laps across their Bahrain pre-season testing program. The team established a good baseline package while building strong working relationships. Lowdon, Pérez, and Bottas all expressed optimism about the progress made. The American manufacturer’s historic F1 debut approaches with the team ready to finally go racing in Australia.
