Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas had a tough race during the inaugural 2026 F1 Spanish GP at Madring on Sunday. He crossed the line in P18 as the last classified finisher after starting P19. The Finn had moved up one position on the grid after Williams’ Carlos Sainz received a three-place penalty for impeding him during Q1.
The 10-time winner ended the race three laps down from Kimi Antonelli, and he cited tyre degradation as a major factor for the “tough race” he had.
Bottas talks high tyre degredation and leaving the strategy up to the team
Valtteri Bottas started the F1 2026 Spanish GP on hard tyres, with an ideal pit window later in the race. After a VSC came out on lap 14 for Lance Stroll who struggled with brake issues, the Cadillac driver stayed out, leaving the team to make the strategic calls as the race unfolded. He would box on lap 29 for another set of them, before changing to softs near the end.
“Well, we changed some things on the way, but I really left it to the team because they have the bigger picture.
“Once you’re one lap down, I have no idea where others are and who are really racing, so I really left it to the team to try and deal with the blue flags and what are the best top laps. But, in the end, lacking a lot of pace.”
Bottas acknowledged that the race proved even more difficult than expected, with the Cadillac requiring significant brake temperature management throughout the race, adding another challenge to an already difficult afternoon. They have had multiple retirements this year because of brakes overheating.
“We knew it was going to be a tough race, but it was maybe even tougher than I thought. We also did have to manage all through the race the brake temps, so quite a bit of lifting and coasting all the way. But we finished, that’s a plus.”
The Finnish driver recognises the need for improvement from the team
Bottas’ teammate Sergio Pérez also struggled as he wasn’t classified for the F1 2026 Spanish GP, following a suspected water system issue. However, the Mexican also struggled with his brakes during his race before the DNF at the Spanish GP.
While the past few races have shown encouraging signs of improvement for Cadillac in small moments, the list of setbacks have been growing as well for the American team.
“We know we need to improve. The car is still not robust enough, and we need to make it a lot faster. The [tyre] deg today, it highlights how much load we’re lacking. We’re sliding way more than the competition.
Bottas emphasised the need for consistency from the beginning of the race to the end. Early in the race, Sergio Pérez could keep ahead of Yuki Tsunoda as he ran in P15 behind Alex Albon.
“Yeah, I think in the beginning we can be there. We’ve seen that there has to be race progress as the [tyre] deg gets worse. But I think for the next event I’m more hopeful that we’re going to be there. Baku, only high-speed corners there for now. Otherwise, it’s slower, medium-speed.”
