Sergio Perez explains what is holding Cadillac back in F1 2026

Sergio Perez is frustrated by the lack of development Cadillac has made in the 2026 Formula 1 season, arguing the debutant outfit must ‘rethink its processes’.

The American marque made its championship debut this year, but Cadillac is bottom of the standings and without a point after 11 rounds - scrapping with Aston Martin at the back of the pack. 

Although that was largely expected, Cadillac’s approximate 2.5-second gap to the front has remained constant despite continuous updates to the MAC-26, including a big one in Austria.

But the upgrades haven’t had the impact those brought by rival teams have had, namely Aston, which leapfrogged ahead of Cadillac with its B-spec chassis in Hungary last time out.

Speaking ahead of that Budapest weekend, Perez, who’d already predicted that the British outfit would overtake his team, said: “It has been very tricky, it has been very difficult for us to develop. I think we haven't developed basically enough.

“We obviously have to rethink all our processes to make sure that we are able to develop a lot stronger, because in Formula 1 it is all about developing.

“I think it is what we are lacking a bit. Obviously, being a new team, we haven't developed as much as we would have liked.”

Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

Being a new team makes Cadillac a little bit hamstrung in this area compared to others, because it is still relying on buying some parts from other companies rather than making everything itself.

“It is a little bit of inefficiency and obviously a lack of development because a lot of it is done through third parties, so we don't control much of it,” said Perez. “So, there is a lot of work done behind the scenes to try to get on top of all of that.

“We don't have a clear process in place,” he added. “With a lot of the teams established, they know their process on development. They have a very clear line [on] how to do things backwards and forwards.

“For us, there is a lot of curves at the moment that we are still finding out and we are still trying to get the most of it. We have to strengthen that line and that will be a lot better.”

Cadillac’s problems are exacerbated by it being the start of a regulation cycle, as this makes having an efficient development timeline more crucial as teams keep learning the new ruleset.

So Perez revealed that the Graeme Lowdon-led squad is aiming for more upgrades in the second half of 2026, which should then put it in good stead for its sophomore campaign in 2027.

“Right now, it is a point where we start focusing on next year,” said Perez. “It is a bit of a balance, but still I think no one in the team is happy with where we currently are.

“So, I would think that the team will keep pushing for a few more upgrades to come to make sure that we are able to at least show to ourselves that our development process is strong. That will give us a lot of confidence going forward.”