Sergio Perez believes Cadillac showed further signs of progress at the Dutch Grand Prix despite finishing only 15th and leaving Zandvoort without its first Formula 1 points. Starting from the pit lane, the Mexican recovered to finish ahead of both Williams cars, while team-mate Valtteri Bottas was forced to retire with a hydraulic problem affecting the rear wing.
The weekend also marked Marcin Budkowski’s first Grand Prix as Cadillac team principal. The American team unexpectedly announced the Franco-Polish engineer’s appointment before the summer break, replacing Graeme Lowdon as it continues to restructure during its debut Formula 1 season.
Sergio Perez encouraged by Cadillac progress at Zandvoort
Perez came close to matching his best result of the season but remained some distance from the points. Nevertheless, the former Red Bull driver saw several encouraging aspects after beginning the race from the pit lane following changes to his car.
“I think starting from the pit lane was the right decision, and we made some good progress throughout the race. Our pace was strong, and after being stuck behind Valtteri on the first lap, we managed to make the overcut work and move ahead.”
“Unfortunately, we were a little unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car, which took away an opportunity we had been building towards.”
Perez still took encouragement from finishing ahead of Williams and from the underlying pace Cadillac displayed during parts of the race.
“Still, we managed to finish ahead of Williams, so there are positives to take from the race. We always give our best, and today we showed some good pace and made progress.”
Cadillac has been working aggressively to close the gap during its first Formula 1 campaign, having already introduced its largest 2026 upgrade package in Austria as part of its attempt to move towards the midfield.
Valtteri Bottas retires with Cadillac hydraulic problem
While Perez reached the chequered flag, reliability again caused problems for Cadillac. Bottas was forced to return to the pits and retire with around 10 laps remaining after a hydraulic issue affected the rear wing.
“Unfortunately, we suffered from a hydraulic issue that was affecting the rear wing. Checo had the same issue earlier this weekend and now it’s hampered us with only a handful of laps to go, which is a shame, but I’m confident the team will be able to resolve it.”
The Finn felt his opening stint had at least offered some encouraging signs before the race unravelled.
“In the race itself, the first stint was decent as we were close to the Williams, but there’s some learnings to be had from our second stint as we analyse everything from this weekend and turn our focus to Monza.”
Cadillac still searching for first F1 points
The retirement leaves Cadillac at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship and still waiting for its first points of 2026. Reliability has repeatedly complicated the team’s efforts to turn its gradual performance improvements into tangible results.
Development therefore remains essential, both on the physical car and behind the scenes. Cadillac has also expanded its simulator programme during its debut campaign, including additional work aimed at improving simulator correlation and car development.
Zandvoort did not provide the breakthrough result Cadillac wanted, but Perez’s pace and recovery from the pit lane offered further evidence that progress is being made. The challenge now is to combine those improvements with better reliability as the team prepares for the next round at Monza on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
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