Günther Steiner believes that Cadillac should immediately stop the development of its 2026 F1 car. According to the former Haas team principal, the new American racing team, which still has zero points after eleven Grands Prix, no longer has a realistic chance to close the gap to the competition. Steiner therefore sees only one logical next step: to put all available resources into 2027.
Read more Netflix releases new documentary about Michael Schumacher: ‘Legend is born’
Cadillac started this season as a newcomer in Formula 1. Veterans Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas were contracted, hoping that their knowledge would help the otherwise inexperienced team progress. Although expectations were realistic, both within the team and from outsiders, the results have been disappointing so far. Reliability issues have plagued the team and partly because of that, the American team still has zero points.
At the time of the summer break, the team management took drastic action and team principal Graeme Lowdon was promptly dismissed. Pole Marcin Budkowski has been in charge since the Dutch GP in Zandvoort. Günther Steiner expects the new team principal to quickly focus on 2027. “We actually expected quite a lot from Cadillac,” he explained in The Red Flags podcast. “Of course, it’s not bad that they are last, but they don’t even have a slight chance to be second to last.”
Read more How does Max Verstappen experience the last F1 weekend at Zandvoort? ‘End of an era’
Cadillac underestimated Formula 1
“We will soon get an announcement that this season is over and that Cadillac will focus on 2027,” the ex-team principal noted. “There’s no point in doing anything for 2026 anymore. Finish what’s still in the pipeline, but then just focus on 2027,” he directly addressed the American team. “I think Marcin (Budkowski, ed.) will do that soon enough. He won’t try to make a new front wing for the race in Abu Dhabi. He’s no longer interested; the chances for this year are already lost.”
According to Steiner, Cadillac underestimated how challenging Formula 1 actually is at the start of the project. He thinks the expectations within the team were too high. “I think they thought it would be easier and dismissed all warnings unjustly,” he concluded. “There are so many people who watch Formula 1 and think: ‘Why do all those people say it’s so complicated?’ But anyone with a bit of experience knows better.”
Read more Column Claire Dubbelman: ‘Charlie’s favorite was Assen because of the facilities and corners’
Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
