The free practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix officially inaugurated not only the 2026 season, but also the adventure of Cadillac in Formula 1, with the entry of the US team which brings the number of single-seaters on the starting grid to twenty-two. The first two sessions of this team, however, caused several problems for the new team, in particular Sergio Perez.
Out at the start of FP2
Returning to F1 after a year of inactivity as an official driver, the Mexican first made a mistake in FP1, ending up in a spin, and then did not take part in the subsequent FP2 due to a hydraulic system failure of his MAC-26: “Today is just the beginning – commented the former Red Bull – I was very proud to be on track in the first ever practice session for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. While there are a lot of small details to iron out, overall it was a big step forward for the team to get two cars out on track, run them and rack up the miles. With the spirit and experience of this team, I am sure we will make progress. For now, we aim to proceed step by stepstarting with a simpler day tomorrow and then moving on to qualifying.”
Higher in the standings, and in both sessions, his teammate Valtteri Bottas. Also returning to F1 after one season, the Finn finished at 17th place in FP1to then establish the 19th fastest in the following session: “First of all, it was great to be there, and thanks to the whole team for preparing the car. We had some difficulties with the preparation of the car, but without the curfew, the team made the most of the opportunities. That’s why it was great to be back on track, and also on a personal level, for an F1 race weekend, and for us to complete our first day ever as a Cadillac Formula 1 Team in a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend. So, all in all, it wasn’t a problem-free day, but we learned from every lap. We collected a lot of useful data after the first day and we will try to improve tomorrow.”
