David Croft praises Cadillac's no-excuses approach after F1 Hungarian GP

David Croft has praised Cadillac’s determination to address its reliability problems rather than use its rookie status as an excuse

Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator David Croft has praised the new Cadillac F1 team for its resilience and refusal to hide behind its rookie status, following another challenging weekend for the American outfit at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Cadillac joined the F1 grid as the 11th team in 2026. The General Motors-backed squad, running Ferrari power units with an experienced driver line-up of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, arrived with measured expectations, targeting long-term stability rather than immediate points and podiums.

The first half of the season has proved difficult for Cadillac, which has been plagued by reliability problems. The Hungarian Grand Prix was no different. Both Bottas and Perez retired after their brakes caught fire.

During a review of the first half of the season on the Sky Sports F1 Show, presenter Craig Slater suggested that the F1 community is cutting Cadillac 'every bit of slack they deserve because it's the first season'. However, Croft quickly intervened, revealing that the team grants itself no such leniency.

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

"You can cut the slack, but I don't think they'll cut the slack themselves, and this really impressed me," Croft argued. "I talked to some Cadillac team members on the way home, and they were gutted about what happened with Bottas's brakes in Budapest.

"Another short track, hot conditions, brakes caught fire again. They thought they'd solved the issue, and they're like, 'No, we have got to get to the bottom of this. This is not acceptable.'

"They don't think, 'We're a new team, therefore cut some slack.' They think, 'No, we've got to get on and fix this.' And I love that attitude. That's exactly what you want to see in Formula 1. 'We've got a problem. Get out there and sort it.' So, I hope they do because there are going to be more hot tracks coming their way. Singapore, Malaysia, to name two."