P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The private shakedown at Barcelona has prompted Valtteri Bottas to admit that Cadillac has a “mountain to climb” before F1 debut.
Following the private shakedown at Barcelona, Valtteri Bottas acknowledged that Cadillac faces a significant challenge to be ready for its Formula 1 debut.
Cadillac, backed by General Motors, began its F1 journey with three days of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week.
Despite only gaining approval to join F1 midway through the previous season, Cadillac made a commendable effort to complete 164 laps during the testing in Spain.
Although the lap count was behind Audi and slightly ahead of Aston Martin, Bottas, returning to F1 after a year off, praised the team’s progress but highlighted the need for further improvements in competitiveness and reliability.
Acknowledging the mountain ahead, the team will now focus on analyzing data from Barcelona to prepare for upcoming tests in Bahrain and the 2026 season opener in Melbourne.
