Formula 1’s newest team took advantage of the unexpected break between the Japanese Grand Prix and this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix to develop a series of upgrades for their debut challenger.
Following qualifying for the F1 Sprint race, the team hailed the “progress” those upgrades unlocked.
While both Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas were eliminated in SQ1, the team believes that Pérez was on the verge of a spot in SQ2 had he been able to complete a second run. Despite qualifying 19th, Pérez called the pace “promising” and indicated he was “happy” with the performance.
“I was very happy with my lap in Sprint Quali, and the pace is promising, but sadly I only had the one run. At some points we were looking like we were going to make it to SQ2, which is already progress, but the priority now is to get on top of our issues. I only had one run as we went out too late and then didn’t have time to refuel and make a second run. In practice we also lost some track time, so we are a bit on the back foot. When we get on top of this, we’ll be able to maximize the package, which is a step forward. We now need a smooth day tomorrow and see where we end up on Sunday,” said the veteran driver in the team’s media report.
Bottas, who will start behind his teammate in P20, said the team is heading in the “right direction.”
“The car feels better with the upgrade, so that’s good. We’ve definitely gained some load especially in high to medium speed. There’s still the need to take further steps, but at least the feeling is better and we’re heading in the right direction. We’ll see what can happen in the Sprint Race tomorrow and the rest of the weekend as we continue to understand our package,” added Bottas.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon outlined how the team needed to capitalize on the “progress” the upgrades displayed Friday.
“We brought a substantial aero upgrade package this weekend, which has translated to more load through the corners and ultimately more laptime on track,” said Lowdon. “The upgrades were on both cars, although Checo was missing one part that may have added a little bit but this will be rectified in rotation agreed between the drivers and team. He could potentially have made it to SQ2 had he got a second run but sadly we missed this after visiting the weigh bridge. This was a missed opportunity but we will learn from it and it shows that we have made a step forward. Valtteri likewise had a decent session so there’s some real promise. We now need to maximize everything operationally and technically to make the most of this progress.”
When Lowdon spoke exclusively with SB Nation ahead of the weekend, the Cadillac boss made it clear that continued development each week was the goal for the team. While points — or even podiums — would be nice, improvement was what the team needed to deliver.
That process is off to a solid start in Miami.