Sergio Perez: Cadillac in 'Massive Hurry' to Find F1 Performance Despite Encouraging Start

Cadillac's Formula 1 debut has been encouraging, but Sergio Perez says the team is in a “massive hurry to find performance.” The Mexican driver fought Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in Miami, reaching 13th in the grand prix, but tire degradation remains a critical hurdle.

Why it matters:

Perez's comments underline the pressure on Cadillac to close the gap to midfield rivals, especially Aston Martin, which is rapidly improving under Lawrence Stroll's investment. Delivering performance quickly will determine whether Cadillac can avoid being left behind in its maiden season.

The details:

• Miami performance: Perez fought Alonso in both sprint and grand prix, finishing just behind him. He praised Alonso's aggressive but fair racing.
• Tire degradation: Perez admitted the team struggled with tire wear. He opted for the hard tire but later said the soft would have been better.
• Qualifying gap: Cadillac was 1.3s off Q2 in early rounds, but in Miami sprint qualifying it was only 0.3s down. However, the deficit ballooned to 1.7s on Saturday.
• Pitstop progress: Perez enjoyed a seamless 23.228s pitstop, quicker than Ferrari, Haas, and Audi. This marked improvement from earlier races where Cadillac was slowest.
• Development race: Aston Martin's new simulator is now fully operational, giving it an edge. Cadillac must find solutions quickly.

What's next:

Perez believes understanding the package is key ahead of Canada. Short-term focus: tire degradation. “We have some ideas,” he said, “but putting all the groups together will be the biggest work in the coming weeks.”