Checo Pérez closes Cadillac's preseason with cautious optimism

The Formula 1 preseason in Bahrain has come to an end, along with Sergio Pérez’s first steps with his new team Cadillac. After completing an intense testing day on February 20th, the Mexican driver shared his first impressions of the car and the experience of working with a completely new team at the top level of motorsport.

Checo’s First Contact with the Cadillac Car

During the morning session of the final day of testing, Checo finished in tenth place with a time of 1:40.842 after completing 61 laps. Although this time is nearly 9 seconds slower than Charles Leclerc’s best with Ferrari (1:31.992), the Mexican driver doesn’t seem discouraged. “For now, the car’s balance feels good. I think we have a balanced car. We’ve improved quite a bit in each test,” Pérez said after handing the vehicle over to his teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Checo is aware of the initial difficulties Cadillac faces as it’s their first year in Formula 1. “We knew it would be a very tough start, but it’s a matter of how quickly we can develop from here,” the Mexican stated, emphasizing the importance of the miles driven during testing as a fundamental basis for the team’s progress.

Development Strategy According to Checo Pérez

Cadillac’s challenge is monumental: to reach the level of dominant teams like McLaren and Red Bull, which have led recent seasons. Checo outlined the roadmap the team will follow during the campaign: “The challenge will be to develop faster than the teams ahead of us. It’s about laying the foundations in the first half of the year to put everything in place and have the car evolve as quickly as possible.”

Both Checo and Bottas have contributed significantly to identifying areas for improvement. The Mexican driver highlights that, as a rookie team putting all departments into operation, “it will take some time.” With the first race — the Australian Grand Prix 2026 — on the horizon, the team is accelerating final adjustments in aerodynamics and setup.

Overall Outlook of Bahrain Preseason

Friday also confirmed Ferrari’s dominance, with Charles Leclerc setting the best time of the entire testing session after an intense day of race simulations. Lando Norris with McLaren and Max Verstappen with Red Bull completed the performance podium, remaining as speed benchmarks heading into the season.

Mercedes slightly slowed down in this final session after leading previous days, while Williams and Aston Martin prioritized reliability assessments and data collection over lap times. Overall, these final tests allowed teams to validate final configurations and prepare for the upcoming competitive debut.