Bottas Reveals Cadillac Problems After Canadian GP

Valtteri Bottas has revealed his Cadillac was far from operating at full potential throughout the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix after suffering multiple setup and performance-related issues during the weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The Finnish driver endured one of his most difficult weekends of the season after finishing last on the road and four laps behind race winner Kimi Antonelli. Bottas was also comfortably outperformed once again by team-mate Sergio Perez, who has consistently extracted stronger pace from the MAC-26 throughout the current campaign.

The performance gap between the two Cadillac drivers was already visible during sprint qualifying. Although Bottas lost his opportunity for a second push lap due to a red flag triggered by Fernando Alonso, the deficit of approximately eight tenths of a second still reappeared during main qualifying.

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Bottas explained that the car’s behaviour changed significantly from session to session, preventing him from building confidence behind the wheel. Under the modern Formula 1 regulations, where aerodynamic balance and tyre operating windows are extremely sensitive, even small setup inconsistencies can heavily impact overall driver performance.

“We had a few issues with the setup and the car felt very different in each session,” Bottas told media including RacingNews365.

“Even during the race there were still some things we couldn’t fix, so the car is not 100 percent. I’m not yet at the point where I can gain proper confidence with the car.”

Bottas also indicated that a lack of full power unit performance further complicated his Montréal weekend. At a circuit such as Gilles Villeneuve, where acceleration efficiency and straight-line speed are critical, any power deficit can immediately compromise recovery drives and wheel-to-wheel battles.

For Cadillac, the situation highlights the steep learning curve still facing its Formula 1 project during the early stages of development. As a new entrant on the grid, Cadillac continues working to understand aerodynamic correlation, mechanical setup behaviour, and power unit integration across varying circuit characteristics.

Despite the setbacks, Bottas stressed that the team is continuing to progress rapidly and introduce new upgrades almost every race weekend.

“Performance is the main thing we are working on,” Bottas said.

“Both mechanically and aero-wise we have to improve and find new parts. But there are new components arriving for almost every race, and that’s a positive thing.”

Bottas’ comments underline that Cadillac’s Formula 1 programme remains firmly in a foundational development phase before it can consistently challenge within the midfield. With performance margins extremely tight under the 2026 regulations, the ability to understand the car’s operating window and accelerate the development cycle will become critical factors in determining how quickly Cadillac can move beyond its current transition period.