Sergio Perez believes tyre degradation has become the biggest issue Cadillac must solve following the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. The Mexican driver admitted the team’s latest upgrade package showed promising signs, but overall race performance was still heavily compromised by excessive tyre wear throughout longer stints.
Cadillac has enjoyed a relatively competitive opening phase for a brand-new Formula 1 operation. After four rounds, the American manufacturer had even managed to stay ahead of Aston Martin in the battle to avoid the bottom of the constructors’ standings. Their strongest result so far came through Valtteri Bottas, who finished 13th at the Chinese Grand Prix.
However, Miami marked the first weekend this season where both Aston Martin cars out-qualified both Cadillacs. During the grand prix itself, Perez spent much of the race battling directly with Fernando Alonso before eventually finishing 16th, immediately behind the Spaniard.
"We had quite a bit of tyre degradation. I think we were simply using the tyres too aggressively throughout the race," Perez explained.
Miami also represented the debut of Cadillac’s first major upgrade package for the MAC-26 chassis. The team introduced several aerodynamic and mechanical revisions aimed at improving braking stability and low-speed traction. While there were early indications of improved one-lap pace, Cadillac still struggled to maintain tyre temperature control and long-run consistency.
Perez also admitted the team’s tyre strategy may not have been optimal. Cadillac selected the hard compound for the main stint, but post-race analysis suggested the soft tyre could potentially have offered stronger overall race performance under Miami’s evolving track conditions.
"Looking back now, perhaps we should have used the soft tyre. But the most important thing is understanding this new package properly so we can bring better solutions to Canada," Perez added.
From a technical standpoint, tyre degradation often reflects multiple underlying weaknesses simultaneously, including aerodynamic load distribution, tyre surface temperature management, and rear suspension behaviour during traction phases. As a new Formula 1 team, Cadillac is still working to improve the correlation between simulator data, wind tunnel development, and real-world circuit performance.
Perez stressed that Cadillac’s biggest task over the coming weeks will be integrating all technical departments more effectively to accelerate development progress. With Formula 1 preparing to enter the European and Canadian phase of the season following a short break, Cadillac’s ability to reduce tyre degradation could become the defining factor in whether the team remains competitive within the lower midfield battle throughout 2026.
Baca Juga
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Sergio Perez menilai degradasi ban menjadi masalah utama Cadillac setelah paket upgrade baru diuji di F1 Miami 2026.
Pierre Gasly meminta Alpine mempertahankan keunggulan pace setelah tampil kuat melawan rival midfield di F1 Miami 2026.
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