{"id":469279,"date":"2026-02-12T02:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T02:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/469279\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T02:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T02:27:16","slug":"bottas-says-cadillacs-f1-journey-is-not-about-where-it-begins-but-where-the-team-goes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/469279\/","title":{"rendered":"Bottas Says Cadillac’s F1 Journey Is Not About Where It Begins, But Where the Team Goes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The challenge of building up a brand-new Formula 1 team from zero, and growing that organization while also designing and building a new car, cannot be underestimated. And it all has to be done against a ticking clock. With so many novelties to deal with, it was no surprise that, like Audi, the Cadillac Formula 1 team<\/a> ran its new car for the first time in January days before the established teams, putting in a filming day at Silverstone to undertake systems checking before going to Barcelona for its first appearance alongside its rivals.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, in Spain, there were some gremlins, and laps were limited\u2014but that was to be expected. This week\u2019s three-day test in Bahrain is the next step, putting into practice everything that has been learned so far in more representative conditions.<\/p>\n

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One of the greatest assets the team has is its driver line-up<\/a>, with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas both bringing valuable experience from top teams. And on Wednesday, the duo helped the car set some respectable times and complete a decent 107 laps, split between Bottas in the morning session and Perez in the afternoon. Both men are highly motivated, and keen to prove a point to anyone who thinks their best days are behind them.<\/p>\n

After today\u2019s running, Bottas said there\u2019s no single big issue that the team is facing, or that is holding things back. \u201cIt’s a bit of everything,\u201d he said. \u201cWe’re still getting better on garage procedures, meetings, everything. But I don’t see one big issue where we are lacking at the moment. There’s nothing to me that says we’re not ready to be in Melbourne, to do something decent, at least finish the race. So there’s no big hiccups.\u201d<\/p>\n

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GIUSEPPE CACACE – Getty Images<\/p>\n

He\u2019s seeing quick progress on a steep learning curve. “How much we’ve already improved from first year going in Silverstone to now\u2014it’s been massive how much better we’re getting each run. Which is natural, because we started from nothing. We also have all the people from different backgrounds, different teams, suddenly thrown in the garage. ‘Okay, there’s your car. Work together!’ It’s quite cool to see how much we’re improving each day.”<\/p>\n

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That said it\u2019s obvious that this won\u2019t be an easy season, with so many balls in the air. Bottas<\/a> knows there won\u2019t be any miracles. “I’m prepared to be realistic, to know that there’s a mountain of work to do,\u201d he said. \u201cThere will be issues, and there have been issues, there still will be. And it is kind of like I said earlier\u2014a problem-solving phase. And I’ve prepared myself for that. And in my mind, I think one sentence says it well: it’s not where we start from in Melbourne, it is where we end up eventually. And that is still the motivation for me.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth recalling how troubled some new teams have been in the past, although the three that arrived in 2010\u2014Lotus, Virgin\/Manor, and HRT\u2014didn\u2019t have the resources that Cadillac has access to. Haas did a much better job in 2015, and that is what the new team should aspire to emulate.<\/p>\n

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Anadolu – Getty Images<\/p>\n

Bottas says he wasn\u2019t surprised everything has gone to schedule thus far. \u201cI’ve been getting regular updates, and when we were leading up to the shakedown, everything was on time, everything was on plan. So that’s why I’m not really surprised. But it has happened, what I’ve been expecting, that we’ve been solving lots of issues. We’ve had small problems\u2014sometimes tiny, annoying ones, whether it comes to one single sensor or stuff like that. But that’s part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The important thing, he notes, is that the car is up and running: \u201cWe were in Barcelona, we’re here, we will be in Melbourne. We will be racing\u2014not for the podiums, but we’ll be there. And like I said, it’s not where we start, it is eventually where we get to that’s going to be the journey.”<\/p>\n

How Cadillac will perform this year remains an unknown, but logic suggests that it will be tougher at the start of the season, given that the first task was to build a team and the second simply to get a car on track in January 2026. Adding performance is the next challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there’s still a lot of unanswered questions,\u201d team CEO Dan Towriss<\/a> said on Monday. \u201cFor us, Barcelona was a lot about shakedown and just, testing systems, because everything we’re building is for the first time… that’s the first steering column, the first fuel system, all the pieces. And so, a real focus on reliability. We’ll start to see where the performance shakes out.”<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think from us, it’s going to be about the rate of development. I would expect to be behind from an aero standpoint coming out of the gate in Melbourne, and so as we’re getting more data, the development is going to come pretty fast on this car.\u201d<\/p>\n

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NurPhoto – Getty Images<\/p>\n

So are points in the first season an obvious target in the first year, given that the cars are likely to be starting near the back? Not necessarily. \u201cFor me, points would be kind of an arbitrary target,\u201d said Towriss. \u201cI want to look at beating teams, beating cars on track and how many cars can we pass in year one, in moving up the grid. And so that’s I think really how we’re thinking about it. And then, secondly, it’s going to be the rate of development on this car as well.”<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe obviously have a long-term outlook for the team, and so that’s the focus that we’re going to have. I think focusing on points out of the gate would be both arbitrary and represent short-term thinking. And what we’re looking at is being successful in the sport over the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

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