Cadillac engineers were ‘visibly worried’ seeing Sergio Perez’s issues at the Australian Grand Prix

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Cadillac’s engineers looked visibly worried at the 2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix after watching Sergio Perez encounter reliability problems during FP1 and FP2 this Friday.

The 2026 F1 season has finally kicked off in Melbourne, but Perez did not enjoy his first day back in the paddock at a Grand Prix since 2024. Cadillac signed the Mexican to a multi-year contract to help lead their debut on the grid in 2026, next to fellow returnee Valtteri Bottas.

Friday at Albert Park even marked the first time that Cadillac had ever had two cars running on the same day, having only had to work on one car during pre-season testing. But P17 for Bottas in FP1 at the Australian GP marked the best that the American squad would achieve.

Perez finished in P20 as Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two atop the FP1 timesheets at the Australian GP by 0.469 seconds over Lewis Hamilton. The 36-year-old lapped 4.353s slower than Leclerc’s 1:20.267, while Bottas finished the first practice session 3.755s off the pace.

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Cadillac were ‘visibly worried’ by Sergio Perez’s reliability issues at the Australian Grand Prix

Bottas fell to P19 as McLaren star Oscar Piastri set the pace in FP2 at the Australian GP with a 1:19.729, which was 3.931s faster than the Cadillac driver’s best time. Perez did not set a lap time in FP2, having only managed two full laps before he pulled to the side of the track.

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Perez spent most of FP2 at the Australian GP in the garage while Cadillac fixed a sensor issue, only to then develop a hydraulics issue after he got out on track. And Auto Motor und Sport reports that Cadillac’s engineers were ‘visibly worried’ by the extent of Perez’s issues.

Even Aston Martin recorded more laps than Cadillac during FP2, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll accumulating a combined total of 31 laps. Bottas completed 28 laps on top of Perez’s mere two in FP2, and the Cadillac racers had only completed 24 and 14 laps in FP1.

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Perez has looked concerned about Cadillac’s situation since pre-season testing, as the six-time Grand Prix winner left Bahrain with the sense that the 2026 F1 season would feature an array of hurdles as the American crew are still learning what life is like as a Formula 1 team.

The Guadalajara native is also learning what it takes to drive the Cadillac MAC-26, plus how he must operate the Ferrari engine in the back of his car. Cadillac will buy power units from Ferrari until General Motors develops a factory engine, which will be no sooner than 2028.

Perez believes the excessive engine braking with Ferrari’s power unit caused him to spin at Turn 5 in FP1 at the Australian GP on Friday. The three-time Grand Prix polesitter suddenly lost the rear-end of his car mid-corner, and he was soon on the radio to blame the engine.

“I’m having a lot of engine braking,” Perez noted over Cadillac’s team radio after his spin in the first practice session of the 2026 F1 season in Melbourne. “I had a massive one there.”