Sergio Pérez looks back on the first Grands Prix of Cadillac. The American team is on the Formula 1 grid for the first time this year. However, the tally still stands at 0 World Championship points even after the Dutch GP. Although the expectations for the brand-new team were not very high, Pérez is still disappointed: “We have not made progress in the last few races.”
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Cadillac is in its first year in Formula 1. The expectations for the newcomer were therefore not too high. Twelve Grands Prix after the start of the season, the team still has 0 World Championship points. Yet Sergio Pérez has no regrets about his Cadillac adventure so far. “I really feel like I am part of this project, of this new era, in which we are building something completely from scratch,” he explains in the Beyond the Grid podcast. “Of course, I want to win championships and compete at the front.”
According to Pérez, he is also ‘more than a driver’ at the American team. “Even if that chance (winning championships, ed.) does not arise, Cadillac is something that motivates me enormously. It’s as if we are building a team completely from scratch and basically starting from last place to see how far we can come together. I feel that I am much more here than just a driver. They listen to me well about all kinds of things, about development and so on. Only a few drivers get that in their career and it is the first time I get to experience this.”
‘No progress during last races’
Although Cadillac’s first year is marked by ups and downs, Pérez is disappointed with the recent form. “There has been a lot of disappointment in the last few races because we have not made progress. We have not gotten better. Since we are a new team, that is exactly what we should be doing, every time again,” says the Mexican. “In the last few races, we have been a bit stagnant and therefore we had to scrutinize our way of working. It is clear that, as a new team, we are constantly learning a lot of new things.”
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Still, Pérez remains hopeful. “If we improve the load of the car, our driving style and many other things, we suddenly won’t be so far behind anymore,” the driver explains. “Although we are at the back, half a second or a second makes a world of difference at this stage. I feel that it is within our reach as a new team. It is possible.”
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