Valtteri Bottas has made a bold claim regarding Cadillac’s Formula 1 facilities compared to his former team, Mercedes.
The Finnish driver joined Cadillac ahead of its highly anticipated entry into F1. Bottas brought with him crucial years of experience from his time at the front of the field with Mercedes. The Silver Arrows and Lewis Hamilton became one of the strongest duos in sports history.
After experiencing the high-end inner workings of Mercedes, many expected Bottas to face a significant step down in infrastructure as he helped build the American outfit.
However, in a recent interview with the Financial Times, Bottas revealed that Cadillac’s infrastructure rivals that of his former team.
“I would say so,” Bottas responded when asked if Cadillac’s new facilities were better than Mercedes.
Bottas’ sentiment was echoed by his team-mate Sergio Perez. Former Red Bull driver Checo praised the scale of the operation following a visit to the factory last month. Perez was impressed by the state-of-the-art equipment, suggesting the team has already laid strong foundations in its first year.
“We were at the factory, and it’s very impressive. I’ve never seen a factory like this in my career. It’s really, really impressive,” Perez said.
“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.
“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.”
Bottas highlights Cadillac learning curve in 2026
Despite the impressive facilities, this season for Cadillac has been far from impressive. The team in its debut season are yet to score a single point, leaving it last on zero points in the Constructors’ standings. However, the 37-year-old believes that whilst results may not be evident on track, the team have continued to improve race by race.
“We are definitely seeing an improvement somewhere every weekend,” Bottas explained.
“It’s not necessarily in the results yet, but it’s in how we operate as a team in different areas.
“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.
Bottas highlighted that the biggest concern for the team and himself is extracting the most out of the package each weekend. Something which he has felt he has done consistently throughout the season.
“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.”
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