(Motorsport-Total.com) – Will a major update in Miami finally bring Cadillac closer to the Formula 1 competition? The newcomer has mastered its first races in the premier class and brought both cars to the finish line again in Suzuka – that is the team’s primary goal for now. However, the next step in terms of performance must now follow.
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Because there, the Americans are currently still without a chance. Although they were able to leave both Aston Martins behind in Suzuka qualifying, the truth is also: they were missing more than a second to the drivers ahead.
In the race as well, it is difficult for Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas to fight against anyone other than Aston Martin: Perez’s gap to the car in front of him was around 26 seconds in Suzuka.
Nevertheless, the Mexican is encouraged after the weekend in Japan: “I think we have improved at every Grand Prix,” he says. “This is the first Grand Prix where more or less everything went smoothly.” Apart from a small problem with energy delivery on Saturday, everything was straightforward.
Competition “not that far away”
In addition, Perez was able to observe the competition on Sunday as long as they were still within reach. “When I was following – I was fighting against the Williams and the Alpine at that time – I could see that they are not that far away,” he says. “They are simply able to consistently find more and more pace.”
He also realized that other teams use energy differently than Cadillac does. “I think that’s something we need to work on.”
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But there are still plenty of construction sites for the newcomer. The biggest one: “At the moment, the main point is the load, that’s where we’re lacking the most. The balance itself isn’t that bad, it’s just that we lack load,” says Perez. “It’s clear that we’re still missing a second now.”
Will the upgrade bring Cadillac closer?
According to Bottas, the cars are also inconsistent with each other: “We see some differences between the two cars over the weekend,” he notes. “Sometimes one has more power, sometimes one has more downforce, so I think the quality also needs to be a bit more consistent.”
In China, the Finn had clearly had the upper hand within the team, but in Japan, it was Perez who was able to show a clearly better performance. Cadillac’s learning curve remains quite steep, “but overall it’s still all positive,” says Bottas. “We had another much cleaner weekend with fewer problems. I am still feeling positive.”
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Theoretically, it should get better with every race. In the long April break, the team now also has the opportunity to analyze the start of the season and implement what has been learned. At the home race in Miami in early May, they want to start freshly strengthened and take the next step with a major update.
“We are bringing the upgrade in Miami,” confirms Perez. “That will be the biggest test for us. I really hope we can make this step to join the midfield.”
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