Cadillac is accelerating its Formula 1 development push after Miami, targeting aerodynamic gains, lower weight and improved reliability for the MAC-26
Most Formula 1 fans naturally focus their attention on the fight for victories, podiums, and the battle at the front of the grid. But in the early stages of the 2026 season, one team has been quietly making small yet steady progress behind the scenes, working to improve every aspect of its operation in the hope of eventually climbing the competitive order.
That team is Cadillac. Formula 1’s newest arrival knows exactly how much work lies ahead if it wants to reach the ambitious goals set when it entered the championship. Race after race, the American squad has been gathering experience, refining processes, reducing mistakes, and improving efficiency both at the factory and at the track in an effort to close the gap to the increasingly competitive midfield.
“Every Grand Prix is a very special event for us right now. And each one brings new challenges and progress,” Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon told Motorsport.com.
“I think we made a really important step forward here in several areas. The upgrades worked exactly as we hoped they would. We have an almost constant flow of new developments coming.”
“It’s always encouraging when an upgrade performs the way you expected, because that gives confidence that the next steps will also deliver results.”
Miami showed operational progress, especially in pit stops
Miami offered some genuine encouragement for the American team, starting with trackside operations.
In the opening races of the season, Cadillac’s pit stops had primarily focused on safety rather than outright speed, partly because the team was not yet regularly fighting in situations where every tenth mattered. But Miami appeared to mark a clear turning point.
The data from the Miami Grand Prix showed Cadillac delivering the seventh and ninth fastest pit stops of the event. Sergio Perez’s stop took 2.73 seconds, while Valtteri Bottas’ was only slightly slower at 2.96 seconds.
There is obviously still room for improvement, but considering that even the reigning world champion team recorded a best stop of 2.43 seconds for Lando Norris, Cadillac has every reason to be pleased with its operational progress: “We’ve also made steps forward operationally. These pit stops were really flawless. The pit stops were very good. We completed several stops that represented a big step forward.”
“Many of the pit stops we had done previously happened under caution situations, where timing wasn’t really the priority. They simply needed to be safe. But these were a real challenge, so it was really nice to see that progress too. “Overall, we made progress in many areas. It was a shame not to reach SQ2 on Saturday because we definitely had the pace for it. But we learned a lot from that as well. There are many positives we can take from Miami into Montreal.”
MAC-26 still struggling in medium and high-speed corners
So far, the American-built cars have shown the understandable weaknesses expected from a debut Formula 1 project, with one issue standing out more clearly than others.
Valtteri Bottas offered a direct assessment: “I think our main problem is high-speed and medium-speed corners,” effectively pointing to a lack of aerodynamic load.
That could make the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix slightly more favourable. Montreal features more low-speed and medium-speed sections, potentially reducing one of Cadillac’s biggest weaknesses.
“Montreal has slow and medium-speed corners, so hopefully we can be closer. Also, it’s a short lap, so the gaps should be tighter.”
New aerodynamic, reliability and weight-saving upgrades are coming
Cadillac brought its first major upgrade package to Miami, and according to the drivers, the changes delivered exactly what the team had expected.
Valtteri Bottas, in particular, said race pace looked noticeably more encouraging than during the first three rounds of the season.
“There are several hidden areas where we are making improvements. You could see it in the pace. Sometimes it looked better, other times less obvious, but I believe the upgrades worked.”
Miami, however, was only the beginning.
With less than two weeks until Formula 1 heads to Montreal, several teams are expected to bring circuit-specific upgrade packages suited to the semi-permanent Canadian venue. Cadillac will be among them, arriving with important developments focused on three critical areas: aerodynamic performance, further weight reduction, and reliability improvements.
“We have a fairly consistent stream of upgrades, mainly aerodynamic ones,” Lowdon continued – “A smaller number of updates have focused on reliability, but in Miami we managed to finish with both cars in both the Sprint and the main race. We’ve seen from others how difficult that can be, so the updates we’re planning now are much more performance-focused and less about reliability. And among the performance upgrades, most are aerodynamic.”
Weight reduction remains another important target, not simply to make the MAC-26 lighter, but to give the team more strategic freedom in how ballast is used to optimise setup and balance: “There’s still some work to reduce weight, but that reduction is mainly designed to give us more strategic flexibility in how we use the weight on the car. In Formula 1, constant development is essential, and in that respect, we’re no different from any other team.”
Component quality still under scrutiny
Cadillac’s development challenge is not limited to trackside performance. Formula 1 pushes every area to the limit, including the manufacturing consistency of the parts required to keep the cars competitive.
After Miami, Valtteri Bottas highlighted some inconsistencies in component quality, suggesting the team’s lack of experience is still being exposed in this area.
“I think the team is struggling a little with the quality of certain components,” the Finnish driver admitted.
“As I said, I don’t think every replacement part we put on the car is identical to the one it replaces. There’s a lack of consistency, although things are improving. Hopefully we can make another step forward in Canada.”
Graeme Lowdon openly acknowledged Bottas’ concerns and praised both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for their patience during this early phase of Cadillac’s Formula 1 journey: “Everything is still so new that it’s incredibly difficult to bring every process to the level we want. We’re not there yet, but we will get there.”
“I almost want to thank the drivers, because they have the maturity to understand that the way we are introducing solutions on the car will continue improving. They have the experience to push the team at exactly the right pace. Push too hard, and the result becomes negative. Both Valtteri and Checo are pushing at exactly the right level.”
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