Cadillac F1’s Austrian GP Upgrade Ends in Double DNF Disaster
· Yahoo Sports
Cadillac introduced a sizable aerodynamic update package at Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix as it continues to chase performance—but it was wary that hot temperatures and the punishing nature of the track on brakes and cooling would be a stern test of its recent reliability issues.
And so, it came to be. And the outcome was far from positive.
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After a Friday practice littered with setbacks related to brake issues and cooling, the team shifted focus to its race set-up, sacrificing one-lap speed and optimum qualifying performance, but its Sunday afternoon lasted little more than five minutes.
Valtteri Bottas brought his MAC-26 into the pit lane after just two laps of the race while Sergio Perez lasted only four laps, with both cars terminally wounded by overheating brakes in 93-degree heat in the Styrian hills. It marked the first double retirement for Cadillac in Formula 1.
“We underestimated the effect of [driving in] traffic, we’ve been having issues all weekend,” said Perez post-race.
“It’s been the worst weekend, it feels like we took four or five steps backwards, so there needs to be a massive process on thinking how we’re doing things, especially when it comes to upgrades, because today what happened was totally unacceptable and very unfortunate as well for the team.”
Valtteri Bottas.Jayce Illman - Getty ImagesBottas added that “today with the increase in temperature, and the traffic effect, it caught on fire on lap two—it’s a big issue and we need to find a fix for it.”
Not only did Cadillac suffer the ignominy of a double retirement, but its early exit denied it the opportunity to gather data and learn about the performance of the upgraded car in race conditions, adding salt to the wound.
“Of course it is frustrating, but the most frustrating thing is not to see progress,” Perez said on the issues. “We always expected these things to occur to a new team, but the frustration comes from a lack of progress.” Perez added that he expects “a massive step forward in reliability going to Silverstone.”
For Bottas it marked a third successive failure to finish a grand prix due to reliability problems.
“If we don’t finish the races then we can’t really learn much out of the car and the package either,” Bottas said. “The priority is now pretty clear in Silverstone – we have to finish the race. We had new bits this weekend in terms of brake cooling but it’s clearly not enough.
“The only thing we can do is work hard as a team. Going ahead, Budapest, places like that, it’s clear we have to redesign some bits else we’re not going to finish.”