Valtteri Bottas makes surprising Mercedes comparison as Cadillac builds F1 future
Cadillac hasn’t scored a single point in its first Formula 1 season, yet its driver Valtteri Bottas believes it has better facilities than the most successful outfit of the hybrid era: Mercedes. Asked by the Financial Times whether Cadillac’s facilities beat the Brackley outfit’s, Bottas simply said: “I would say so.”
Bottas spent 2017 to 2021 at Mercedes, and all 10 of his grand prix wins came during his time alongside Lewis Hamilton. He knows the Brackley operation from the inside, and Cadillac’s Silverstone base sits only a short drive away.
Team-mate Sergio Perez spent four years at the Red Bull team, another hugely successful operation with a driver roster to match. “We were at the factory, and it’s very impressive,” he said. “I’ve never seen a factory like this in my career. It’s really, really impressive.”
He continued: “It was really nice to see it. We had talks with the engineers, with all the people involved in the project, the plans and stuff. It was nice to catch up with everyone.”
As for what impressed him most, Perez confirmed it was how new everything was. “First of all, it’s because everything is new: the equipment they have, the platforms, how nicely it is connected, all the different departments. It’s like a new home, very well organised. It was really good to see.”
A recently completed manufacturing facility in Silverstone is now operational while simultaneous construction continues on American-based installations. Cadillac’s American headquarters is going up in Fishers, Indiana, with powertrain work based in North Carolina.
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Anni Graf – Formula 1 via Getty Images
A shiny factory doesn’t do much for reliability
Seventeen races in, Cadillac is still waiting on its first point, and Bottas has retired from eight of them. He doesn’t pretend the results say otherwise, but he insists the progress is in motion: “We are definitely seeing an improvement somewhere every weekend. It’s not necessarily in the results yet, but it’s in how we operate as a team in different areas.”
He also explains why the improvements haven’t been reflected on track. “Once you have issues, whether it’s in practice or qualifying, that’s when you can’t improve. You’re just trying to fix the issues instead of focusing on performance and making the car faster.”
Asked how he can help the team move forward, Bottas was modest. “The main thing is trying to get the most out of myself and trying to be the best version of myself that I can. It’s the same with the people around me. I’m trying to make sure they are getting the most out of themselves and giving everything they have. In the end, that’s all we can do.”
Buildings, equipment and modern processes are the easy part of a new F1 team, since money can buy all of it. Turning them into a car that finishes races and then scores points is slower and less glamorous work.
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