Sergio Pérez: Cadillac’s embarrassment in Austria is “completely unacceptable”

For six-time Grand Prix winner Sergio Pérez (36) and ten-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas (also 36), Styria wasn’t worth the trip – their racing cars’ brakes failed, and after four laps both Cadillacs had retired.

The Mexican Pérez on his 289th Grand Prix: “It seems we misjudged the brake cooling when driving in a pack. We’ve had problems all weekend, for various reasons. We had new parts on the car, but it feels as though we’ve taken five steps backwards.”

‘Checo’ Pérez doesn’t mince his words: ‘What happened today is completely unacceptable. We cannot afford to squander the advantage of new parts so recklessly.’

For Bottas, in his 254th Grand Prix, the brake problems came “out of the blue. There was no warning. I was able to drive a dozen laps in practice without any problems.”

“I reckon that because it was even warmer on Sunday and because we were now driving in the pack, the brakes weren’t getting enough fresh air. By lap 2, my brakes were overheating. That was my third retirement in a row – obviously, we’re not learning anything about the car this way. That was the most disappointing race of the year.”

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Budapest: Das Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

26.07.2026 - 17:15

Back in Monaco, the 2019 and 2020 World Championship runner-up had already been let down by the brakes on his Cadillac.