Cadillac Shows Encouraging Pace in Madrid F1 Race Despite Reliability Setbacks

Cadillac driver Sergio Perez highlighted encouraging race pace at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, despite eventually retiring from 17th place due to a terminal water leak. After starting 18th, Perez climbed to 16th ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz, maintaining a close gap to Williams driver Alexander Albon throughout the race.

Both Perez and Albon executed the same strategy, starting on medium tyres and switching to hard compounds during a virtual safety car period. Data showed Perez was 0.403s per lap slower than Albon during an 11-lap sample in the first stint, but became 0.351s faster over an eight-lap sample on hard tyres before technical issues and blue flags affected his pace.

Meanwhile, team-mate Valtteri Bottas experienced a more difficult afternoon at the back of the field, citing severe tyre degradation and the need to manage brake temperatures throughout. Bottas also raised concerns over car durability, with Cadillac suffering 11 retirements or non-starts in 2026 so far, compared to 15 for Aston Martin and seven for Williams.

Cadillac currently holds best results of 18th in qualifying and 14th in Sunday races. The team aims to improve on these results at the upcoming event in Baku, Azerbaijan, where the MAC-26's lack of downforce is expected to be less costly.