Mario Andretti reveals what Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas have told him Cadillac are ‘lacking’

Follow us on Google Discover

Mario Andretti might not be involved in the day-to-day decision-making at Cadillac, but he does have a line of communication with both drivers.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were selected to be the inaugural drivers for Cadillac in part due to their experience in Formula 1.

Both of them were tenured drivers who, at one point, were significant proponents for their teams winning the constructors’ championship.

What do you expect from Sergio Perez in the 2026 F1 season?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

But that doesn’t mean things have gone the way they had hoped to start the season. After Perez’s accidental move into Bottas at the Chinese Grand Prix, Cadillac are likely to be very unhappy.

And in the race prior in Melbourne, Perez was frustrated with Cadillac celebrating a poor performance. But the frustration for the drivers goes beyond just the race results.

READ MORE: Anthony Davidson says Sergio Perez looks happier at Cadillac than at any point during Red Bull stint

Mario Andretti claims Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas both complained about Cadillac’s downforce

Cadillac’s board director, Mario Andretti, was a guest on the Drive to Wynn podcast, where he talked about Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

While both drivers are a little rusty in his eyes, he does back them to adapt soon enough. But Andretti also shared that both drivers have complained about the lack of rear stability and downforce.

“The main thing that really interests me is that I want to hear from the drivers. That’s really what it’s all about. I think they’re both just a little bit rusty. They’ve both been out of the cockpit for at least one season.”

“With all this, the new package and everything else, they’re being very careful just to participate and not set anything back by going out there and creating more than what is needed.”

“We’re lacking some downforce, especially rear stability. That’s what I keep hearing from both of them.”

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

Cadillac honours Mario Andretti with first chassis name

Which F1 icon would you name a car after?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Mario Andretti believes Cadillac’s power unit struggles aren’t a unique experience this season

Speaking further during the interview, Andretti noted that Cadillac are trying to figure out how to get the most out of their power unit, something all teams except Mercedes and Ferrari are struggling with.

“The other side is to totally try and take advantage of the power unit for what the delivery is between keeping the battery charged and that sort of thing.”

“We’re not the only ones who have that issue. Outside of Mercedes and Ferrari, it seems like everybody else is really searching deeply on how to maximise the situation. It’s going to be an interesting progress of the season…”

Cadillac are currently getting their power units from Ferrari. Unlike the teams working with the Mercedes power unit, Cadillac haven’t had many complaints about their lack of understanding of the power unit.

However, it is very possible that Cadillac’s ambitions for this season being far more subdued compared to other teams has meant they haven’t felt the need to take issue with Ferrari.