Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Sergio Perez has warned that Cadillac faces a “massive challenge” to out-develop its rivals throughout its debut Formula 1 campaign in 2026.
Following pre-season testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, Cadillac appears to sit 10th in the early competitive order among the 11 teams, ahead of a struggling Aston Martin but behind Williams. Perez and team-mate Valtteri Bottas both return to full-time grand prix racing after a year on the sidelines, forming an experienced driver pairing for the new American outfit.
The as-yet-unnamed Cadillac car encountered early teething issues during testing, including sensor-related problems that temporarily disrupted its programme. Despite this, the team managed to complete 745 laps across both venues, equating to 3,908 kilometres (2,429 miles) of running — a respectable baseline for a new entrant navigating fresh 2026 technical regulations.
Perez, a veteran of 281 grand prix starts, stressed that identifying weaknesses and establishing strong technical foundations will be central to the team’s early-season strategy.
“It is about finding weaknesses, and at the moment, the balance of the car feels good,” Perez explained.
“I think we have a balanced car, and we just have to go out there and find a lot of downforce.”
Beyond outright pace, Perez highlighted development rate as the defining factor in Cadillac’s first year. As a newly assembled operation, aligning departments and refining processes remains an ongoing effort.
“As a team, big and new, putting all the departments in place is taking some time, and the challenge here will be to out-develop the teams ahead of us.”
“That is a massive challenge we will be facing for the year, but I think it is all about foundations for the first half of the year.”
Perez believes that establishing a stable organisational and technical structure early in the campaign will be crucial to accelerating car development and closing the gap to midfield rivals.
“To be able to put the team in the right place to be able to develop the car as quickly as possible, and hopefully, we can catch up pretty soon.”
With 745 laps completed in pre-season and a long development curve ahead under the new regulatory framework, Cadillac’s inaugural season will be defined less by immediate results and more by the pace of technical progress across 2026.
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