The new Cadillac F1 team survived its baptism of fire in Bahrain. With no prior experience, the American outfit ran an intense test programme. Cadillac stayed realistic about its debut season, putting the emphasis on reliability, fine‑tuning procedures and gathering data ahead of the first race in Melbourne. On pure lap times the squad was mostly at the back, but in Bahrain the objective was clear: accumulate mileage.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon described the outing as a successful dress rehearsal. “We’ve had two very productive weeks here in Bahrain,” he said in a press release. “A few small issues here and there, as with any Formula 1 team, but overall we can be satisfied with the progress we’ve made. We have a solid base package that gives us a good starting point for our first race in Melbourne. It’s a huge achievement to be where we are now, and I’m proud of everyone in the team for the hard work.”
Over the test days Cadillac concentrated primarily on long runs and system checks, with the number of trouble‑free laps visibly increasing towards the final days.
Drivers are eager
For Sergio Pérez the test represented his first serious kilometres with the new team. “I really enjoyed this test period,” he said. “The atmosphere within the team is excellent. We’re moving in the right direction, we have a well-balanced car and we were able to rack up a lot of kilometres. With every lap we learn more; now it’s about sharpening performance further. There’s always work to be done, but given the short preparation time ahead of Melbourne I’m satisfied. I can’t wait to get back on track in race mode.”
Valtteri Bottas also emphasised the importance of the kilometres completed and the collaboration within Cadillac. “Today we wrapped up the test programme after two productive weeks in Bahrain,” he added. “We used our time on track to learn the car better, refine our teamwork and map out the focus areas for the coming season. In the run-up to Cadillac’s first race it’s crucial that we analyse the data thoroughly. Everything we’ve done so far has been aimed at our debut. We can’t wait to finally go racing.”
