Sergio Perez teases ‘big’ Cadillac upgrade for Austrian GP midfield push

Perez points to Austria as Cadillac’s next major test

Sergio Perez says Cadillac will bring a “big package” to the 2026 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix as the General Motors-backed team looks to move closer to the midfield after a difficult start to its debut campaign.

Seven rounds into the season, Cadillac remains the only constructor yet to score a championship point. The team came close in Monaco, only for Perez’s opportunity to be effectively removed after a post-race penalty helped Fernando Alonso secure Aston Martin’s first point of 2026.

That has not erased the sense of progress around Cadillac’s new Formula 1 project. Built from scratch, the team has shown encouraging signs, and on pure pace Perez and Valtteri Bottas appear to have a package that is arguably ahead of Aston Martin, even if still at the rear of the competitive order.

Tyre wear remains the defining weakness

Perez has identified tyre degradation as the key limitation of Cadillac’s 2026 car, particularly over longer race runs. The Mexican said the drop-off becomes severe once stints extend beyond a relatively short window.

“Whenever we have a stint longer than 15 laps, we seem to struggle a lot with a massive cliff,” Perez said.

He added that the team understands the issue and has a clear direction for improvement, though a full fix is not expected immediately.

“We understand pretty well where that is coming from, and we have a pretty good idea on where to fix it and how, but it will just take a few races from now. The good thing is that we know, and obviously, Barcelona is the greatest place to show you where you are lacking, so that was a positive for us.”

Barcelona therefore served as a diagnostic weekend as much as a race weekend, giving Cadillac the information it needs before the next development step. In that sense, Austria arrives at a moment when several teams are framing upgrades as crucial to their trajectory, including Red Bull’s own Austrian GP package, which you can read more about in our analysis of Red Bull’s Austria upgrade.

Aiming for the midfield group

Round eight takes Formula 1 to the Red Bull Ring, where Perez says Cadillac will introduce an extensive upgrade package designed to unlock more performance and close the gap ahead.

“It’s good information for the team,” Perez said of the Barcelona data. “We just have to make sure that we are able to come out on top, and we are bringing a big package for Austria. I hope that will bring us into the midfield group.”

While Austria is expected to improve the car’s limitations, Perez suggested the British Grand Prix could be the point at which Cadillac begins to make a more meaningful step against its rivals.

“It will improve it though, and I think we are looking forward to… hopefully, Silverstone will be the place that we will resolve it,” he concluded.

For Cadillac, the target is clear: convert visible progress into points, and turn a promising but still limited package into one capable of fighting beyond the back of the field.