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Sergio Perez got the ‘maximum’ out of his first Formula 1 qualifying session with Cadillac in Australia.
After entering the Formula 1 world championship for 2026, Cadillac completed their first qualifying session in the series at the Australian Grand Prix.
Expectations were low for the American team as they started their Formula 1 project from scratch with a new car and new design.
Both Cadillac drivers, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, exited qualifying after the opening session and will start the Australian Grand Prix from 18th and 19th places on the grid.
Both Perez and Bottas had been off the grid for the 2025 Formula 1 season and returned to racing in 2026 with the new Cadillac Formula 1 team.
What do you think of Cadillac’s first-ever qualifying?
Sergio Perez ‘got the maximum’ from his Cadillac in Australia
After exiting the first qualifying session of the season in Q1, Perez spoke to the BBC about his return to F1 with Cadillac.
Perez revealed that he is still ‘trying to understand’ the new regulations that have been added to the sport for the 2026 season, and stated the sport is ‘different’ from how he remembered it.
However, he was pleased with how the new Cadillac team handled their first qualifying session as a squad.
Perez said, “I think we got the maximum out of the car, and the team did a really good job operationally, which is all I can ask for, so that is a really good job from the team. So, I am happy with that.”
He added, “It is tricky, all the new regulations, I am still trying to understand them, Formula 1 is very different from what I remember. I am still getting used to this, and it will be interesting to see how the race goes tomorrow; overtaking will be very hard. But let’s see what happens.”
Half a second between Mercedes and the rest
Are you concerned about the 2026 season not being competitive?
Marc Priestley praises Cadillac for ‘ticking the first box’
The former Mercedes Formula 1 mechanic, Marc Priestley discussed what he saw from Cadillac on Saturday at the Australian Grand Prix.
During BBC 5 Live’s broadcast of the qualifying session, Priestley was impressed with Cadillac and noted how difficult it is to start a Formula 1 team from the ground up.
Although there is still ‘a long, long way to go’, Priestley noted that Cadillac have ‘ticked the first box’.
Priestley said, “Huge effort from those guys, the expectations were always going to be low at Cadillac, such is the undertaking of starting a Formula 1 team from scratch.
“It is not just about getting a car to the racetrack; it is then about how you operate it, and the learning that has to happen from here on in is astronomically huge. Well done to them for getting through the first hurdle. There is a long, long way to go, but they have ticked the first box.”
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