Small steps forward
Two weeks after the last GP held in China, Formula 1 will stop this weekend at the Suzuka circuit for the Japanese Grand Prixthird round of the world championship. Looking at the Constructors’ classification, there are still two companies stuck at the bottom of the ranking without any points obtained: Aston Martin, in the midst of a results crisis with its Suzuka power units, and the debutant Cadillac.
Unlike what happened in Australia, with the withdrawal of Valtteri Bottasthe US team took a step forward with both cars reaching the finish line. It was the Finnish driver himself who recognized the team’s progress, optimistic ahead of the Japanese weekend: “I really appreciate Japan for several reasons and I have wonderful memories of my victory in 2019 – he declared – we’re not at that level yet at Cadillac, but the Chinese Grand Prix was positive. Getting both cars to the finish line in our second ever race was really important for us. We learned a lot from Shanghai and we arrive at Suzuka in a more solid position“.
Twice he came close to winning at Suzuka Sergio Perezalso satisfied with the progress made at Cadillac and convinced that the team can still improve for the next race: “The team worked hard in the first two races of the season and we have already made clear progress. The Sprint weekend in China was another new challenge, but we handled it well and came out stronger. I’m excited to keep pushing at Suzuka, a true drivers’ circuit, where I’ve already achieved podiums. Although the higher downforce configuration will make the weekend more difficult, we will approach it the same way: focusing on problem-free sessions, improving every time we go out on track and making it to the end of the race.”
