Valtteri Bottas Reveals Causes Behind Azerbaijan F1 Horror Show

Valtteri Bottas identifies damper degradation behind Cadillac’s Baku struggles

Valtteri Bottas has linked his off-colour Azerbaijan Grand Prix performance to damper degradation, saying the problem progressively damaged the ride characteristics of his Cadillac through the race.

The Finnish driver struggled throughout the weekend in Baku and was largely stuck at the bottom of the timesheets. His difficult showing was made more pronounced by team-mate Sergio Perez’s typically strong performance around the Azerbaijani capital, a circuit where Perez has historically excelled.

Bottas’s race ended on the final lap when he crashed into the barrier at Turn 15. The Cadillac’s power unit failed to provide the correct level of engine braking on the rear axle while the car was superclipping.

Reflecting on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Bottas described the weekend as a pretty poor one and outlined the issues that had limited his pace.

“I understand it looked pretty bad from the outside; I felt pretty bad in the car as well. There was just no way to keep up with the pack,”

Bottas said he had tried multiple approaches during the race but continued to lose time both on the straights and throughout the corners.

“Tried everything during the race. Got lots of feedback on where I am losing the time. A lot of it was on the straights. But also a big chunk was just all around the lap in the corners. That’s why I just kept pushing until the end. And that’s why I had the lock-up on the last lap in Turn 1.”

Ride quality deteriorated as the race progressed

Bottas explained that Cadillac had already identified a pace deficit during practice. He could not match Perez’s cornering speed, prompting the team to make substantial changes to the car for qualifying, including adjustments to the dampers and floor.

“The main thing was we saw already in practice that I was lacking pace. I couldn’t carry the same speed through the corners as Checo. So we changed a lot for the qualifying, including some dampers, the floor. And it actually felt a lot better.

“But then the ride again during the race degraded quite a lot. I think it’s something to do with dampers, [degrading] with heat.

The team also lacked complete information about the aerodynamic performance of parts of the floor because some pressure-tapping data was still unavailable. Bottas said this prevented Cadillac from immediately determining whether it was gaining or losing aerodynamic performance.

“The floor [too], we are still lacking a bit of pressure tappings here and there. So we don’t [yet] have the full information on aero parts that I’m used to from the past where you could immediately see if you’re down or up.

“But now there are some bits of the floor where we are blind. But for me, feeling-wise, it was more the ride, and that’s in combination with power steering that was [degrading] throughout the weekend, and I was really then also struggling to feel the car throughout the race. So, those things combined.”

Bottas was consistently 6-7km/h slower than Perez on the straights. He attributed that difference to Perez’s newer Ferrari powertrain: Perez had Ferrari’s ADUO 2 engine, while Bottas was using an older-specification power unit.

Bottas says Cadillac’s main weakness remains mechanical

Assessing Cadillac’s broader performance deficit, Bottas said the team’s infrastructure was strong and improving. However, he added that the rush to design and build the team’s first Formula 1 car had compromised its ultimate performance. His assessment matched comments from new team principal Marcin Budkowski, who said the team had needed to make shortcuts to meet its production deadlines.

“When it comes to settings, like differential maps, brake maps and stuff, we’re in a good place,”

“I feel like I’ve got everything that I need. Also the support from Ferrari when it comes to the engine braking maps and stuff. The main limitation we have is still mechanically.

“Obviously it was a bit of a rush to design the car. We have some good tools, but not as advanced as we would hope. And there’s going to be, for sure, a change to the suspension on next year’s car. So that will open more opportunities for set-up changes. But that’s where we’re lacking, the mechanical side.”

Sergio Perez says he made the difference in Baku

Perez offered a more positive assessment of his own Azerbaijan Grand Prix, saying his driving had been a major factor in Cadillac’s relative competitiveness. The former Red Bull driver briefly appeared to have an outside chance of scoring a surprise point after the restart, when he was close to the top 10.

However, Perez eventually fell back because he could not remain in contact with the cars ahead. He said Ferrari’s newer engine and its overtake mode were not enough to offset the Cadillac MAC-26’s drag output.

“I think at the moment it’s basically the lack of load, we have a massive lack of load in the car, and not a lot of drag,”

“You know, in Baku, when I basically stayed on the overtake mode for the entire race and therefore I was able to stay with the others, but when I overtook them, I was just a passenger because I had no straightline speed.

“So we have two big issues: no load and a lot of drag – but we always knew this first year was going to be tricky.

“A lot can happen but, I guess given where the pace of the car is at the moment, we are just too far off and it’s a place that you can overtake easily.

Perez said the team would face a more representative test at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit, without the benefit of his particular affinity for Baku.

“I’m not too excited about the prospects for this weekend. I think Baku was a one-off; I was making a massive difference there, and here it will be just back to our reality in terms of where the car is at the moment.”

Why damper degradation affects an F1 car’s suspension

A damper controls the energy travelling through the suspension when a wheel rises over a kerb or bump, or when the car experiences axial movement. During a race, repeated compression of the fluid inside the damper generates heat.

As the fluid continues to heat up, its properties change and its viscosity falls. The damper then produces less resistance, reducing the suspension’s ability to absorb energy from bumps and kerb strikes. More of those forces are consequently transferred through the chassis.

At a bumpy circuit such as Baku, the change can affect the car’s handling. It can also slightly alter the floor’s performance by influencing the car’s ride height, adding to the difficulty of maintaining a consistent aerodynamic platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

What caused Valtteri Bottas’s poor Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Bottas pointed to damper degradation caused by heat, worsening ride quality during the race. He also cited deteriorating power steering, incomplete floor data and a mechanical performance deficit.

Why was Sergio Perez faster than Valtteri Bottas on the straights?

Bottas said Perez had Ferrari’s newer “ADUO 2” power unit, while Bottas used an older-specification unit. Perez was reportedly 6-7km/h faster on the straights.

What are Cadillac’s main car weaknesses?

Perez identified a lack of aerodynamic load and excessive drag as major problems. Bottas said the team’s principal limitation remained on the mechanical side, with a suspension change planned for next year’s car.