16/10/2025 19:15
Cadillac has revealed how Sergio Perez has already made an impact
on F1's newest team after sessions in the simulator uncovered a
major change he wanted. Perez has been signed alongside Valtteri
Bottas to form an uber-experienced line-up for Cadillac's first
attack on F1 in 2026, with the team set to run a Ferrari customer
power unit until it can prepare its own in-house unit towards the
end of the decade. Whilst Bottas is still contractually tied to
Mercedes, Perez is unattached, and as such, has been able to spend
time in the simulator, helping the team to iron out minor problems
which would not normally affect other teams. One such area is the
power steering of the new machine, with executive engineering
consultant and former Benetton, Williams, Renault, and F1 chief Pat
Symonds explaining how Perez has already demanded changes ahead of
2026. "Checo has been in the simulator already as he doesn't have
any ties to other teams at the moment," Symonds told invited media,
including RacingNews365 , in Austin. "We've had debriefs with him,
and we've had him in the simulator [working on] the little bits you
need to get from the driver. "For example, Eric [Warren's] group is
designing the power steering, and Checo in the simulator said: 'No,
I want a slightly different feel on the power steering' and that is
great because the group can then just get on and tune it to exactly
the way Checo wants it. "It is slightly different with Valtteri,
because he is still contracted with Mercedes, who have actually
been very helpful with us, and allowed us to get a few things
sorted, like preferences for the steering wheel and these sorts of
things. "For a team in the position that we are, we're incredibly
lucky to have two experienced drivers, as the workload on the
drivers next year is not trivial. "The regulation changes make the
racing more tactical rather than deciding everything beforehand, so
you need drivers who are capable of thinking their way through it
at the same time as managing their tyres and all this type of
stuff. "So to have two experienced drivers, who I hope won't put
it in the wall too often, is a great thing for a new team."
