Cadillac target F1 midfield with 'big upgrade package' for Austria

Sergio Perez has set his sights on moving Cadillac into the Formula 1 midfield battle, with a “big package” of upgrades set to be introduced in Austria.

New team for 2026, Cadillac is the only manufacturer without a point this season, with Perez losing 10th place at the Monaco Grand Prix to Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin through a post-race penalty.

But the team has been showing signs of improvement on recent weekends, appearing to move clear of Aston Martin on pace, although tyre wear remains a significant problem.

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

“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.”

With this season being run to all new regulations, the campaign is very much a development race, with teams able to make a significant step forward if they bring a larger upgrade to the track than their rivals – something highlighted by Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton’s Spanish success.

With reliability on his side of the garage proving less of an issue than for Valtteri Bottas, Perez commented of the data gathered from his race distances: “It’s good information for the team. 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.”

Asked if this package will solve all the issues experienced in Barcelona, Perez conceded, “No. It will not solve it.

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