How Cadillac’s 2026 season has played out so far

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleResultsStandingsDriversTeamsF1 UnlockedOpen menuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/half-term-report-cadillacs-best-and-worst-moments-from-2026-so-far-and-driver-head-to-heads.1YaoN3aYOZppI55o11Ah9B.1YaoN3aYOZppI55o11Ah9B"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/half-term-report-cadillacs-best-and-worst-moments-from-2026-so-far-and-driver-head-to-heads.1YaoN3aYOZppI55o11Ah9B","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/half-term-report-cadillacs-best-and-worst-moments-from-2026-so-far-and-driver-head-to-heads.1YaoN3aYOZppI55o11Ah9B","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/half-term-report-cadillacs-best-and-worst-moments-from-2026-so-far-and-driver-head-to-heads.1YaoN3aYOZppI55o11Ah9B","datePublished":"2026-08-09T08:38:33.274Z","dateModified":"2026-08-09T08:38:33.274Z","headline":"HALF TERM REPORT: Cadillac’s best and worst moments from 2026 so far and driver head-to-heads","author":"F1","description":"As Cadillac find themselves as the only team without a point on the board, we recap their season so far in their half term report.\n","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1786117897/fom-website/2026/Cadillac/TEAM%20PREVIEWSHALF%20TERM%20REPORTS%20V1%20(2).png"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}CadillacSergio PerezValtteri BottasShow more tagsHALF TERM REPORT: Cadillac’s best and worst moments from 2026 so far and driver head-to-headsAs Cadillac find themselves as the only team without a point on the board, we recap their season so far in their half term report. Cadillac were always aware that joining the grid as a brand-new team would come with a staggering list of challenges and lessons. Their season has been filled with teething issues, ranging from repeated brake fires to a distinct lack of pace, but they continue to reap the rewards of committing to old hands Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Their experience goes a long way in guaranteeing hope in the team’s future, even though they’re currently at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship. Here’s the lowdown on their 2026 so far… As we’ll dive into more later, it’s largely seemed like Perez has been more comfortable with embracing the fledgling Cadillac project, but it’s actually Bottas who holds the honour of their best Grand Prix finish this season. After qualifying P20 at the Chinese Grand Prix, the Finn managed to avoid any major damage as he made contact with his team mate on the opening lap, and went on to capitalise on others’ misfortune to improve to P13. It’s important to note that four drivers failed to start the race, while another three retired, automatically boosting Bottas up the order. Nevertheless, it marked a strong result for his first finish of the year – one which he has yet to match since, with P16 in Canada and Great Britain his next strongest Grand Prix performances. Of course it's also worth mentioning that Perez initially finished the Monaco Grand Prix in 10th place, seemingly earning Cadillac's first ever F1 point. But the Mexican was penalised after the race for being out of position on the restart, dropping him down to P15, as mentioned in more detail later on. Cadillac’s season has been all about celebrating every milestone they can, whether that’s outqualifying both Aston Martin cars for the first time at the Japanese Grand Prix, or simply starting anywhere that’s not the back row of the grid. In this regard, Perez marginally has the upper hand over Bottas, having beaten him on one-lap pace on six occasions to five. It’s still a pretty tight competition between the pair as both have experienced settling for the dreaded P22 slot, as well as enjoying their joint-best Qualifying result of P18 – Perez achieved this in Monaco, while Bottas did the same at Silverstone. Perez led the way in Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Barcelona-Catalunya and Austria, but it’s clear that Qualifying falls under Cadillac’s overarching aim of improving their pace, especially as neither driver has been able to progress from Q1 at any circuit. Race head-to-head Perez 6-3 Bottas* *No mark for the Austrian and Hungarian Grands Prix as both drivers retired The Mexican driver comes into his own even more when their race results are compared, edging out Bottas six times and playing a key role in allowing Cadillac to creep closer to the midfield teams they’re determined to battle alongside. Bottas has only crossed the line ahead of his team mate in China, Canada and Belgium – and in the latter two, Perez was forced to retire the car due to suspension failures. On that note, Cadillac have a significant problem to tackle in terms of their reliability, with Perez and Bottas suffering four and five DNFs respectively. Any hope of consistent improvement was shed as they were both unable to complete the Austrian or Hungarian Grands Prix, where overheating issues returned to bring their weekends to a frustratingly early close. In such a fast-paced sport, Cadillac were under no illusions that they would arrive and immediately fight for points – but they did come close at the aforementioned Monaco Grand Prix thanks to a patient and confident drive by Perez. He knew from experience that grabbing every opportunity can be crucial, and the race offered plenty. There were retirements and penalties galore, so much so that Perez was able to climb from 18th to that remarkable 10th place, providing Cadillac with the unexpected joy of scoring their first point just six rounds into their maiden campaign. To their dismay, it wasn’t to be. He had bounced back from a drive-through penalty for a starting infringement and thrived in the chaos of a late Safety Car, but was handed a 10-second time penalty for positioning his front right wheel outside of his grid box at the red flag restart. While it was an annoying reason to lose the position, his execution of the race proved that Cadillac were certainly on the right course to become a serious contender and gave them a glimpse of what success could look like in the near future. Worst moment Development and upgrades have formed a notable part of this season as every team pushes to optimise the new generation of cars. Naturally, Cadillac are learning more than most after starting from scratch, but nevertheless brought an ambitious upgrade package to the Austrian Grand Prix. Unfortunately, all of the optimism surrounding it – Team Principal Graeme Lowdown believed the updated sidepods and floor would “continue our trajectory of steadily catching up to the midfield” – rapidly dissipated upon arrival at the Red Bull Ring. Reliability woes impacted their Friday running before both drivers retired from the race, with Bottas completing just two laps while Perez lasted slightly longer, bringing their expectations crashing down. Cadillac have a fantastic foundation underneath them – two proven race winners form their driver line-up, Lowdon and many other team figures have incredibly useful prior experience in F1, and rival outfits have demonstrated what can be done with the Ferrari-supplied gearbox and engine. But the novelty is beginning to wear off, and what they can’t afford to do is stand still – there’s simply not enough time to focus on anything but trying to advance every single week, especially after their nearest competitors at Aston Martin introduced a much-needed B-spec car in Hungary just before the summer break. Like everyone, they’re working relentlessly behind the scenes to produce similar development, with fixing reliability likely their main priority, followed by Qualifying and race pace (not too much to ask for!). A Q2 appearance or top-10 finish, which would likely rely on another eventful race with multiple retirements for those further ahead, would represent a tangible achievement for Cadillac to point to as an indication of how far they have come. Of course, that’s much easier said than done, but if they can deliver a car worthy of regular midfield contests with teams like Aston Martin, Williams and Audi, Perez and Bottas will undoubtedly make the most of it. 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