F1 | Cadillac brings first major MAC-26 upgrade in Miami: new floor and weight reduction introduced
Cadillac and General Motors’ Formula 1 project reaches another key milestone, as the Miami Grand Prix marks the team’s first-ever home-style weekend for the Charlotte-based outfit. The opening three races have served as an essential learning phase to measure themselves against the other ten teams on the grid, and the gap in structure and experience has been clearly visible across multiple areas.
From the upcoming round in Florida, the objective shifts towards closing in on the midfield pack after a positive step forward in Suzuka, where the MAC-26 showed stronger race pace than Aston Martin over the 53 Sunday laps. According to information gathered by the Italian media, the first upgrade package from Graeme Lowdon’s team will include a significant weight reduction for the car, alongside the introduction of a new floor and additional components.
Lowdon, Cadillac: “Good progress in the first three races”, MAC-26 improves from Melbourne to Suzuka
“We have made good progress in the first three races of the season. Following that progress, this weekend we will introduce several upgrades,” said Graeme Lowdon ahead of the race weekend.
“The break has allowed us to focus more closely on fine-tuning and preparing the introduction of updates, as well as improving our operational procedures.”
In a recent interview with SB Nation, the Cadillac Team Principal explained the challenges of entering such a competitive environment: “We are in the most difficult and competitive game in the world, in my opinion, facing incredibly experienced and extremely strong teams. These are the best teams in the world, and there is no hiding. I also have to add that you are doing all of this in front of hundreds of millions of people, representing a very valuable brand.”
The team’s progress in its debut season is not fully reflected in the results, but it becomes more visible when analysing each weekend individually. The Australian Grand Prix debut saw the MAC-26 of Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas over four seconds off the overall benchmark and around two and a half seconds slower than the midfield average.
However, races in China and Japan showed clear improvement. At Suzuka, Cadillac even managed to outperform Aston Martin, with the car developed between Indianapolis, Charlotte and Silverstone improving by half a second in qualifying and by around one second in race pace compared to Melbourne.
The gap to Williams, currently the backmarker of the midfield pack, also reduced by around half a second across both qualifying and race conditions.
One area that still needs major work is pit stops. Only one of the seven stops completed so far has been under 3.5 seconds, while the average of 4.91 seconds in clean stops is the worst on the grid and the only one above four seconds. During the break, part of the focus has been placed on pit stop practice and physical preparation for pit crew members, along with operational improvements.
Cadillac: new floor, front wing changes, brake ducts and weight reduction for the MAC-26
Autoracer can reveal that the upgrade package planned for the American weekend will focus on both aerodynamics and mechanical areas, with the main new feature being a completely new floor. The package will also include revised front wing elements such as flaps and endplates, as well as updated brake ducts.
The MAC-26 will also be lighter than the version used during the first Asian races of the season. One of Cadillac’s biggest challenges will be maintaining a positive development rate in order to close the gap to the midfield group, currently led by Haas, Alpine and Racing Bulls, without falling further behind more experienced teams in the upgrade race.
In this context, further performance gains are expected to come later in the season from power unit supplier Ferrari, thanks to development permissions granted under the ADUO regulations, not before mid-season.
In summary, Cadillac’s home debut in Miami marks a critical turning point as the team introduces its first major technical upgrades, including a new floor and essential weight reductions for the MAC-26. By focusing on both aerodynamic efficiency and operational improvements—particularly in their pit stop execution—Graeme Lowdon’s squad aims to translate their steady progress seen in Suzuka into a more competitive presence within the F1 midfield. Ultimately, this weekend will be a vital indicator of whether the American team can maintain its upward trajectory against the world’s most experienced racing organizations.
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