Double retirement of Cadillac in Austria: brakes on fire for Bottas and Perez after 4 laps

The end of a race due to the same problem. In a Formula 1 Grand Prix it can absolutely happen that a driver, for various reasons, is forced to return to the pits to withdraw the car in the first laps. A little less if, in less than five laps, two drivers from the same team raise the white flag due to a breakdown. Even more rarely if, always within the first five rounds, the knockout of both is due to the same problem. Cadillac: brakes on fire… and more This is exactly what happened to the Cadillac in the Austrian Grand Prix, where both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas ended their race almost immediately due to overheating of the brakes. A real fool at the Red Bull Ring for the US team, which had also presented itself to Spielberg with an important package of updates. Already at the beginning of the weekend, the first warning signs had emerged with Perez’s double retirement in free practice due to a problem with the power unit, followed by Bottas’ stop in FP2, with his car in smoke due to the rear end detachment. Working to avoid the ‘poker’ of retirements The issue of reliability had therefore given rise to great concerns, with the ex-Mercedes Finn returning to the pits two laps after the start with the brakes on fire: “We knew that this is one of the most demanding tracks for the brakes, especially with these high temperatures – he declared after his very short race – we didn’t encounter any problems during free practice, but suddenly, after two laps of the race, the brakes overheated. It’s the third consecutive retirement for me, so this one it’s the most important aspect we need to focus on as a team. We need to finish the races to learn more, so this will be our main focus in the future.” Two laps after Bottas’ out, Perez also retired with the same brake problem, thus commenting on all his frustration. For Cadillac, the only rookie team in this world championship, it is yet another GP that ended without any points: “Today was a really unlucky day. In traffic the brakes overheated and we were forced to retire. We were really fighting and we had the pace to compete with the Williams: I overtook Albon on the track, so it’s a real shame that we weren’t able to make the most of the situation today. We need to analyze the situation thoroughly and understand what we can do for Silverstone.”

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-06-30 14:00:00