Perez and Bottas reflect on Cadillac’s ‘important’ first home race in Miami as they face ‘biggest test’ so far

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas have been sharing their expectations for what Cadillac might be able to achieve on their first home race in Formula 1 at the Miami Grand Prix, with Perez admitting that this will be their "biggest test" so far.

As the season resumes following the April break, the American outfit are preparing for their maiden outing on home soil, one for which they are bringing a special livery to their car as well as adding updates.

Reflecting back on how the opening rounds of the campaign have gone for Cadillac – with both cars seeing the chequered flag at the last two races – Perez reflected on the positive signs for the team as he spoke to the media on Thursday in Miami.

“We’re going in the right direction,” the Mexican explained. “We are definitely progressing every single race weekend, which is the main thing for us. I think so far this will be our biggest test because we are bringing a big package – obviously everyone is, so it just depends if it’s bigger than the others’.

“If it all works it will give us a lot of confidence in our development tools going forward, so it’s a very important weekend for us, and obviously racing at home for the team, it’s a very important weekend overall.”

Pushed on what success will look like for the squad this weekend, Perez answered: “Making progress from Suzuka. If we are able to make progress, especially in this race where everyone is bringing big upgrades, that would be a very good weekend.”

The 36-year-old also admitted that the fact that the event will be Cadillac’s first home race brings a different atmosphere.

“It is very exciting being here, racing for an American team, and having all the Latin support in Miami is always very special,” said Perez. “For me it’s one of the best races of the year, and you can feel the difference in the atmosphere driving for an American team, the lead-up to here.

“We have basically new colours this weekend. It’s our first race here in F1, so we are enjoying it a lot and the fans have been amazing.”

On the other side of the garage, Bottas shared his thoughts on what Cadillac can expect during the weekend ahead, with the Finn similarly looking forward to enjoying the team’s debut home event.

“It should be interesting,” he commented. “After a few weeks off, we're probably going to see a different order of the teams, different performances. We don't know what everyone is bringing in terms of upgrades.

“We know what we are bringing and it will make our car faster but, relative to others, I can't say. It should be good fun, and also it’s a Sprint weekend. For us, it’s a big weekend – first time racing on US soil, which is going to be quite fun.”

Reflecting further on the changes to the car, Bottas said: “Physically it looks different, we have a different livery – same colour scheme but different kind of pattern, which looks pretty cool.

“The car itself, we have aero updates, we have some weight reduction as well – the car has been on a diet. We'll be faster than in the previous races but, how much others have improved, we don't know.”

Like Perez, Bottas believes that seeing progress will be the mark of a good weekend for Cadillac in Miami.

“It's a project for us,” the 10-time race winner explained. “For me, the pleasure is now seeing progress and, if this weekend we can be closer to the midfield, that's the carrot – that's the trophy at the end, if we improve.

“But it's still a long way to go, we still need to make big steps. In my mind, I'm thinking quite a lot ahead, and that is the motivation.”