Will Aston Martin overtake them? Bottas (Cadillac): “There are lots of rumours”

Cadillac has joined Formula 1 this season as the eleventh team. The US team is building everything from scratch: new processes, a new car, new team members – only the engine is being supplied by Ferrari, at least in the early stages. Consequently, Cadillac went into its debut season with low expectations. It was widely anticipated that they would be bringing up the rear, and this came as no surprise to anyone. What was unexpected, however, was that Cadillac is not alone at the back of the field: Aston Martin is struggling with significant problems in 2026. As a result, Aston Martin and Cadillac usually share the bottom places. On paper, Aston Martin has one point more (i.e. one mark) than Cadillac – a point that originally went to Cadillac driver Checo Pérez in Monaco. However, the Mexican lost that maiden point to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso following a retrospective penalty. Overall, though, Cadillac is currently performing better than Aston Martin. Perhaps one should add: for now?

This move is likely to be significant

Aston Martin is bringing its long-awaited, completely revamped car to Hungary – will Cadillac now find itself back in last place, as expected? The two Cadillac drivers, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, agree: Aston Martin is likely to make a significant step forward with it.

Valtteri Bottas: “There are lots of rumours. Most people are saying it will be a big step forward for them. But we’ll see when the car is on the track.” The Finn: “I’m very curious, but at the same time I’m also a bit worried that we’ll be left behind if they make a big step forward. But we should focus on ourselves.”

Perez: Aston Martin are likely to close the gap

When asked whether Aston Martin can close the gap, Sergio Perez replied clearly: “Definitely. They’ll develop strongly; they’re a strong team. We expect them to close the gap and make progress.”

At any rate, our own upgrades are working. Bottas: “We’ve seen progress on our end compared to Aston Martin, who haven’t really upgraded their car so far. We’ve closed the gap well, and that’s down to our small improvements.”

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Cadillac has brought a few new elements of its own this weekend – though they’re a far cry from the revolution seen at Aston Martin. New brakes, more cooling. In the past, Cadillac had repeatedly struggled with overheating brakes. In Budapest, there’s a lot of hard braking required and it’s traditionally very hot (although temperatures are lower this year). Brakes and cooling are therefore urgently needed. Incidentally, Cadillac is also bringing upgrades in the second half of the season – but nothing too spectacular, according to Bottas. The focus will soon shift to 2027.