May 8 (GMM) Cadillac is still waiting for its first points in Formula 1, but the new American team insists it remains firmly on the right path.
Miami marked the team’s first home race since the FIA and F1 formally approved the American team’s entry just over a year ago, ending the long Andretti-linked political battle surrounding its arrival on the grid.
General Motors president Mark Reuss attended the event in Florida and admitted the occasion felt emotional.
“A year later, we’ve got a car, a couple of races under our belt, and the team’s functioning,” he told the Detroit News.
“I couldn’t be prouder. It’s really an emotional time.”
Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard praised the speed of Cadillac’s build-up.
“Credit Cadillac,” he said. “They’ve levitated a full Formula 1 team in the midst of a major rules change.”
Despite that, the reality of 2026 has been difficult.
Cadillac and crisis-struck Aston Martin-Honda remain the only teams yet to score a point this season.
Still, neither Valtteri Bottas nor Sergio Perez appear discouraged.
“No, there’s no frustration, I knew what I was getting into,” Bottas said. “I knew there would be difficult moments.”
The Finn explained after Miami that tyre degradation remains one of Cadillac’s biggest weaknesses. “Qualifying went great on the fresh tyres,” Bottas said.
“But as soon as they degraded, our pace was pretty poor. And we’re still struggling with some components, so there’s still a lot of work ahead of us.”
However, the ten-time grand prix winner insisted the team is making genuine progress behind the scenes.
“We are making progress in some areas that aren’t immediately obvious,” he explained.
“At times, the pace looked better than before, but there were also moments when it wasn’t so good.”
“But I think our upgrades have worked. It’s not all as it should be yet, but overall we are moving in the right direction.”
Perez, also 36, agreed that tyre management remains Cadillac’s biggest issue.
“I think our team is moving in the right direction and we’re capable of keeping up with the mid-pack teams,” the Mexican said.
“But as soon as the tyres start to degrade, we lose a lot of momentum.”
“The whole team is rushing to improve the car and increase our speed because we know Aston Martin will improve, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Perez also praised Cadillac’s operational execution. “We did a great job with our pitstops during the race,” he said.
“The team handled it very well, and that shows we have a lot in store.”
“It’s important to continue improving in all areas over the coming weekends.”
Reuss said Cadillac’s decision to sign two experienced veterans has already proven invaluable.
“It’s a big deal,” he explained.
“You’ve got to have both the human and the math-based simulation bringing upgraded car packages to the track every weekend.”
“So we rely heavily on Checo and Valtteri to really bring us their experience – particularly on tracks where we have never run, like Miami.”