Checo Pérez reveals first impressions after Cadillac's pre-season testing in Bahrain

Preseason testing in Bahrain concluded this Friday, marking the first evaluations of Sergio Pérez driving the new Cadillac for the 2026 Formula 1 season. After sharing driving sessions with teammate Valtteri Bottas during two three-day blocks (February 11-13 and 18-20), Checo Pérez is ready for the upcoming debut at the Australian Grand Prix.

During the morning session on February 20, Pérez recorded a time of 1:40.842 completing 61 laps, placing tenth. Although this time reflects nearly a 9-second gap compared to the day’s best (1:31.992 by Charles Leclerc in Ferrari), the Mexican driver expressed a positive outlook on the work done so far.

Technical Evaluation: Checo Pérez’s Analysis of His New Car

After handing over the wheel to Bottas, Checo Pérez spoke to the media to share his observations on Cadillac’s development. Despite the times indicating a competitive gap, the Mexican emphasized his confidence in the progress made: “It’s about finding the weak points. The car’s balance feels good. I think we have a well-tuned car. We’ve improved quite a bit in each test.”

Pérez’s focus highlights the importance of the exploratory phase in these initial contacts with the Cadillac. He recognizes that the team is going through a challenging early period, as this is the first year for the American automaker in Formula 1: “We’re doing many kilometers, which has been the most critical part for us.”

Mid-term Strategy: Accelerated Development According to Checo Pérez

Aware of the challenges Cadillac faces as a debutant team, Checo Pérez outlined the main strategy for the rest of the season. “We knew it was going to be a very tough start, but it’s about how quickly we can develop from this point,” the driver stated.

In his analysis, Pérez identified the key challenge: “The challenge here will be developing faster than the teams ahead of us. That’s a huge challenge we’ll face throughout the year.” His strategic approach involves establishing solid fundamentals in the first half of the calendar to optimize improvements in the second half: “It’s about laying the groundwork in the first half of the year, so we can put everything in the right place in the team and develop the car as quickly as possible. Hopefully, we can catch up to them soon.”

The feedback from Checo Pérez and Bottas has been instrumental in identifying areas for optimization. Both drivers actively contribute to the process of detecting improvements that the team will incorporate ahead of the official start in Australia.

End of Testing: Overall Competitive Outlook in Bahrain

Friday’s session confirmed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari as the session’s standout, leading both the day and the testing set with a time of 1:31.992. Leclerc was followed by Lando Norris in McLaren during the afternoon session and Max Verstappen in Red Bull, establishing these three drivers at the forefront of competition.

The rest of the paddock showed varied behaviors. Mercedes experienced a slowdown after leading previous days, while Williams and Aston Martin prioritized reliability assessments and telemetry collection over lap times.

Overall, teams used this final testing phase to validate aerodynamic configurations, analyze tire degradation under different conditions, and fine-tune the final setup ahead of the season starting in Australia.

For Checo Pérez and Cadillac, these tests mark the starting point for a season where the learning curve will be crucial to their future competitiveness.