Valtteri Bottas has finally spoken out about his woeful pace compared to Cadillac Formula 1 teammate Sergio Perez at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He was on average 1.7 seconds slower per lap—the largest intra-team deficit on race day in 2026 so far. Even his fastest lap was 1.489s slower than Perez. The race ended in disaster: he hit the wall on the final lap after his car's deployment pattern got confused.
The incident occurred after Bottas went down the Turn 1 escape road, adding extra distance, and his rear brakes failed going into Turn 15. But more worrying was the alarming lack of pace before then. Perez was close to lapping Bottas before the crash. "I understand it looked pretty bad from the outside and felt pretty bad in the car as well," Bottas said in Malaysia on Thursday. "There was just no way to keep up with the pack. I tried everything, but lost time, especially on the straights and in the corners."
Bottas explained that the main issue wasn't just the power unit. There was a combination of dampers degrading with heat, the floor losing downforce, and power steering fading throughout the weekend. "We changed a lot for qualifying, including dampers and the floor, and it felt better. But then the ride during the race degraded a lot. We are still lacking pressure tappings here and there, so we don't have the full information on aero parts," he added.
Another compounding factor was the power unit difference. Perez already had the upgraded Ferrari ADUO 2 engine, while Bottas didn't. Initially thought to be a small difference, data suggests otherwise. "The power unit difference was probably bigger than we thought. We've got a number in theory, but that's new engine versus old spec. So yeah, I think those combined. I was pretty slow," Bottas explained.
When will Bottas get the ADUO 2 engine? He says it's "50/50" for Sepang this weekend. If not, he'll have to wait until Singapore next week. Meanwhile, Perez won't be running it in Malaysia, swapping to a different power unit. This strategic decision highlights the importance of engine performance at a circuit like Sepang.
For Cadillac, the pace gap between drivers is a serious alarm. The team must quickly find technical solutions, especially in understanding the car's floor characteristics and maintaining consistent performance over a race distance. Otherwise, they risk falling further behind in the constructors' standings. Bottas himself insists he will keep pushing the limits, though he admits the car is not yet capable of consistent competitiveness.
With a long season ahead, car development and power unit integration will be key. Will Bottas bounce back in Sepang? We await their performance on track.
Baca Juga
Jadwal F1 Bahrain 2026 di Malaysia lengkap dengan waktu latihan, kualifikasi dan balapan utama di Sirkuit Sepang pada 2-4 Oktober 2026.
Honda ternyata sudah memakai dua upgrade ADUO, dengan turbo baru diperkenalkan di GP Spanyol. Simak strategi dan dampaknya bagi Aston Martin.
Honda mengungkap upgrade turbo tersembunyi di GP Spanyol, menggunakan kedua token ADUO. Simak analisis lengkap dan dampaknya bagi Aston Martin di F1.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!