Valtteri Bottas Sparks Hopes for Cadillac with “Different Car” Feel Ahead of Miami GP!
In a thrilling turn of events at the Miami Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas, the Finnish racing sensation, delivered an electrifying performance in qualifying that has fans buzzing with excitement. Following a rocky start to Cadillac's debut in the 2026 Formula 1 season, Bottas boldly declared that his car felt “like a different car” compared to previous races. This revelation comes as Cadillac, alongside Aston Martin, has struggled to make a mark on the scoreboard, remaining point-less as the season enters its fourth race weekend.
Despite a challenging qualifying round where Bottas found himself trailing between two to four seconds off the pace in Q1, the driver managed to qualify in 20th place, clocking in 2.976 seconds behind the fastest time. However, thanks to Isack Hadjar's disqualification, Bottas will start from 19th on the grid. Fans were treated to a sneak peek of Cadillac's potential, as the American team introduced nine significant upgrades for their first home race.
“I could see that some things were not performing as they should in my car and now it was a lot better,” Bottas explained, showcasing his optimism. “It was like a different car, so I was actually struggling a little bit with the balance because of that but in a positive way, because I gained some rear grip in this session. So hopefully that helps tomorrow.”
The former Mercedes star expressed confidence that Cadillac has made real progress, even if they remain up to two seconds off the pace needed to qualify for Q2. When asked if the team is moving forward, Bottas answered with conviction, “Yeah, I think so. Positions are still the same as before, but I think the gap is a bit closer to many other teams. So, I think we're getting there step by step, but we still need to understand better many things.”
Bottas outperformed his teammate, Sergio Perez, who was just three tenths behind him. Perez echoed Bottas's sentiments, suggesting that Cadillac had the potential to challenge Aston Martin had he executed a cleaner lap. “We got a much better run yesterday than today,” Perez lamented. “We did a lot of changes obviously today, which I think we probably took a step back. Qualifying for me was very messy, missing the second lap, which was my mistake pressing the wrong button. On the third lap, I had a massive overdelivery as I was braking into [Turn] 14 and just went straight, losing that lap as well. I think we could have been very close to Fernando [Alonso], if not ahead. But yeah, we certainly looked a lot more competitive yesterday.”
Bottas and Perez's revelations about their upgraded Cadillac machines have set the stage for an exhilarating race day ahead. Will Cadillac turn their fortunes around? As the engines roar and the race unfolds, all eyes will be on Bottas and his team to see if they can capitalize on their newfound momentum!
