Cadillac claimed 19th and 20th positions on the grid for Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, outpacing Aston Martin despite challenges during the weekend. Sergio Perez led the team with a lap time of 1m32.206s, beating Fernando Alonso by 0.440s. The result marks a small improvement for Cadillac, though a significant gap to the midfield remains.
At the Suzuka Circuit, Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas secured 19th and 20th places respectively in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, moving ahead of Aston Martin's cars on a difficult weekend for the team and others lower down the order. Perez posted the faster time of 1m32.206s, which was 0.440s quicker than Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, but still 1.1s behind 18th-placed Oliver Bearman and 1.3s off the Q2 cut-off. The Mexican driver faced energy deployment problems throughout the weekend, costing him three to five tenths per lap, compounded by a collision with Alex Albon in free practice. He also lost a run in qualifying, managing only two laps. > “We didn't have a clean weekend so far,” Perez said. “We are struggling a lot with deployment issues... And we still don't fully understand it well, so I really hope that tomorrow we can sort it out... We are ahead of Aston and we are looking good in race pace compared to them.” Bottas trailed his teammate by 0.124s, attributing his deficit to pushing too hard on his final lap, which overheated the tires. He reported no deployment issues but noted the team's position relative to the midfield and Aston Martin. > “The feeling has been positive this weekend compared to China. The lap time is coming a bit easier. We have a bit more options with the set-up now, but ultimately we're still lacking load – especially compared to the top teams, a lot of load,” Bottas explained. A new diffuser upgrade on the Cadillac MAC-26 car contributed to gains in rear-end load and improved balance. Bottas expressed optimism for the five-week break before the Miami round, mentioning developments in the pipeline to close the gap to midfielders while defending against Aston Martin.
