Silverstone-based Cadillac F1 Team make strides at Japanese Grand Prix - as golden opportunity arises before Miami
Formula 1 newbies Cadillac may not have set the world alight just yet, but they made some significant progress at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Cadillac were expected to be by far the sport’s slowest team for a lengthy period, however they were a touch faster than the struggling Aston Martin around Suzuka, only the third race of the season.
Drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas finished in 17th and 19th respectively. Just completing the race distance at this point is a plus as a new team, let alone beating other constructors on the grid.
Perez finished on the same lap as race-winner Kimi Antonelli, a satisfying bonus. Albeit helped by an earlier safety car, that was quite the accomplishment in itself.
Meanwhile, Bottas crossed the line just behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and ahead of Williams’ Alexander Albon, who effectively treated the final few laps as a practice session on the soft tyre.
Cadillac are yet to score a single point in F1 but having both drivers finish two successive races - after P13 and P15 in China - is no mean feat, especially under these complex new regulations.
The hard work from those at Cadillac’s small European hub, just a stone’s throw from Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, is crucial to the American team’s success.
“We’ve made a lot of progress in a short space of time, and we can be happy to get two cars past the finish yet again,” Perez said after the Japanese GP.
“We were clearly faster than Aston Martin and we can see our pace is getting stronger.”
Now into an unforeseen five-week break due to the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races being postponed, Cadillac have the opportunity to make further off-track strides before touching down in Miami at the start of May.
Bottas added: “We’ve learned a lot that we can use to improve for the next race.
“We now head into this gap in the calendar after our first three races with the opportunity to analyse everything learned so far and spend more time developing the car.
“The mood is good in the team as we fully focus on preparations for our first home Grand Prix.”