Still without a single point after Zandvoort, Cadillac is going through a difficult first season in F1. Sergio Pérez nevertheless sees progress and already praises the impact of Marcin Budkowski.
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Cadillac is still waiting to unlock its counter in Formula 1. After twelve Grands Prix contested in 2026, the American team remains the only one on the grid to have scored no points, but Sergio Pérez wants to retain several encouraging signs seen at Zandvoort.
The Dutch weekend was, however, nothing but a success on paper. The Mexican had to start from the pit lane for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix and ultimately could only do fifteenth on Sunday.
But beyond the raw result, Pérez believes that the pace shown by his Cadillac during certain phases of the race demonstrates interesting progress.
“I think qualifying was really a huge test. It didn’t work and it was the right decision to start from the pit lane.”
Pérez glimpsed a more competitive Cadillac
The difficulties encountered in qualifying forced Cadillac to change the car’s setup, condemning Pérez to start from the pits.
A choice that nevertheless allowed the team to gather new information and above all to regain a more encouraging level of performance in the race.
“We made good progress. Our pace was very solid during the first stint. I was stuck behind Valtteri, but we managed to overtake him thanks to the overcut.”
The second stint then reinforced the Mexican’s impression.
“The second stint seemed much more promising.”
However, Cadillac was not able to fully exploit this improvement. The virtual safety car intervention did not play in Pérez’s favor, who ultimately finished fifteenth.
“We were a bit unlucky with the VSC, but in the end we managed to finish ahead of the Williams after the problems they encountered. So that’s encouraging.”
An observation that obviously does not mask the difficulties encountered since the start of the season.
Cadillac still searching for its first point
Cadillac’s arrival in Formula 1 so far resembles a long learning process. After twelve races, the American team still occupies the last place in the constructors’ championship with zero points.
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Valtteri Bottas holds his best result with a thirteenth place obtained in China, while Pérez’s best performances are two fourteenth places, in Barcelona and Silverstone.
Zandvoort therefore did not improve these statistics, but the progress observed in the long stints is a small satisfaction for Pérez.
For a new team faced with the need to develop simultaneously its car, its procedures, and its organization, each weekend represents an opportunity to accumulate experience.
And Cadillac has just made an important change at its head.
Pérez already impressed by Budkowski
During the summer break, Marcin Budkowski replaced Graeme Lowdon as head of Cadillac. The former Alpine executive officially holds the position of team principal in Formula 1 for the first time.
Zandvoort therefore represented his first Grand Prix in charge of the American outfit.
And Pérez already seems convinced by his new boss.
“Marcin has already started to contribute and we can all see that he is an excellent leader.”
The Mexican notably highlights Budkowski’s immediate investment in the project.
“He is working hard and, from what I can see, he will very quickly start to bring all his experience to the project. So I am very satisfied with the way he is leading the team.”
A huge task remains to be accomplished
Budkowski’s arrival will obviously not transform Cadillac overnight. The gap accumulated on other teams remains significant and the immediate goal remains simply to regularly get closer to the pack.
But after a particularly complicated weekend in qualifying, Pérez prefers to focus on the progress made between Saturday and Sunday.
Cadillac remains last in the championship and still without points, but the Mexican believes he saw at Zandvoort two reasons for hope: a more convincing car in the long stints and a new boss whose influence is already beginning to be felt.
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Now the challenge is to turn these promises into results.