Cadillac sees improvement at Silverstone, but Valtteri Bottas still chasing the new package. Cadillac making progress, but Valtteri Bottas admits more work is needed.

Cadillac closes in on Haas, but the gap remains. Valtteri Bottas still struggling

The major upgrades Cadillac introduced over the previous race weekends are beginning to deliver encouraging signs, but the long-awaited performance breakthrough has yet to arrive. At Silverstone, the American team confirmed that it has reduced part of the gap to the field, particularly compared to Haas, although it still lacks the pace required to consistently challenge for a place in SQ2.

Even so, Friday provided several positive indications. Cadillac used the weekend’s only Free Practice session to focus heavily on tyre and energy management—two of the most critical factors around Silverstone—and managed to significantly improve the behaviour of the car between FP1 and Sprint Qualifying.

Sergio Perez sees progress, but knows there is more to come

Sergio Perez will once again start ahead of his teammate after another solid qualifying performance at Silverstone. The Mexican has continued his impressive form within the team, extending his qualifying head-to-head advantage over Valtteri Bottas to 6-2 this season.

“It was a tricky session today. Right now, we’re focused on maximising everything we can. From where we were in FP1 to the end of qualifying, we’ve made a good step forward,” Perez explained.

However, he also acknowledged that the Cadillac package still has clear limitations.

“The car felt more neutral in the wind and was close to Esteban Ocon’s pace, but in the end I found traffic at Turn 4 and also had an issue with energy deployment. I don’t think reaching SQ2 was realistically possible today, but the positive thing is that we’re making progress.”

Valtteri Bottas still learning the new package

Valtteri Bottas also recognised the team’s small improvements, while admitting there is still a great deal to learn about Cadillac’s latest upgrade package.

“Over a single lap we’re still in this position, somewhere between Aston Martin and the midfield. It’s a different way of driving these cars around this circuit, but it’s actually better than I expected. Hopefully we’ll gain a better understanding of the upgrade package we introduced in Austria, because during the last race we only managed to complete two laps.”

The Finnish driver’s comments suggest the new components have not yet revealed their full potential, largely because the limited running in Austria prevented the team from carrying out a complete evaluation.

Graeme Lowdon: “We’re heading in the right direction”

Team principal Graeme Lowdon was satisfied with the work completed throughout the day, particularly the valuable data collected on tyre behaviour and energy management.

“We completed the programme we had planned this morning to analyse tyre and energy management. We still have work to do, but we understand the direction we need to follow and how we can continue improving. Both Valtteri and Checo did an excellent job.”

For Cadillac, Silverstone represents another encouraging step in what remains a long-term development programme. The team is now noticeably closer to the cars ahead than it was only a few races ago, and the battle with Haas is becoming increasingly competitive, even if breaking into the midfield remains the next major objective.