Key Highlights
- Sergio Perez significantly outperformed Valtteri Bottas for Cadillac at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
- Bottas was more than 46 seconds behind Perez’s sister Cadillac by his first pit stop and later retired after a technical issue caused a crash.
- Perez finished 15th after briefly moving up to 12th, saying he extracted “150%” from the Cadillac in Baku.
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas Show Stark Cadillac Performance Gap in Baku
The 2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix produced one of the clearest intra-team performance gaps of the season, with Sergio Perez far more competitive than Cadillac team-mate Valtteri Bottas on the Baku street circuit.
Bottas was outqualified by 1.632 seconds on Friday, although a yellow flag hindered his final effort. His difficulties continued during the race. By his first pit stop on lap 26, the Finnish driver was more than 46 seconds behind Perez’s Cadillac, representing a loss of approximately 1.9 seconds per lap. After the later safety-car interventions, Bottas continued to lose around 1.6 seconds per lap.
“Long one,” Bottas nervously chuckled when asked to describe his race. “Honestly, no pace at all. I could only fight with Fernando [Alonso] – for sure, we lost some time there. Otherwise, pretty far off, so lots of things to look into from this weekend.”
Bottas said he had needed to lift and coast during the race but did not believe that fully explained the sizeable deficit. “I think there’s something else. We’ll have a look,” he said.
Perez Keeps Pace With the Midfield
Perez remained closer to the midfield throughout the opening stint. When Carlos Sainz made his first pit stop on lap 20, Perez was only one second behind the Spaniard. Audi drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were also within close range of the Cadillac.
The safety car helped Perez return to the track ahead of Sainz. He then passed Gabriel Bortoleto and briefly climbed to 12th amid the restart confusion. However, Perez eventually slipped back to 15th, behind Liam Lawson, Bortoleto and Oscar Piastri.
“It’s been one of my best weekends in Baku to be honest, I managed to get 150% out of that car,” the two-time Azerbaijan GP winner said.
“We were fighting cars that are a second or two seconds faster than us due to the overtake mode, so we stayed with them throughout the first stint – with the Williams, with the Audi, big gap. But then in the end at the restart we just don’t have any straightline speed, so we fall back. We fought for a bit with Piastri, I think he had some damage.
“At the moment we’re lacking really half a second to a second to be able to mix with them.
“The problem is really my pace. I was a sitting duck on the straights, so I knew that there was not much opportunity.”
Different Driving Approaches Widen Cadillac Team-Mate Gap
Perez suggested that his aggressive approach on the demanding Baku street circuit helped explain the difference between the two Cadillac drivers. The Mexican said he had pushed the car to its limit through the corners despite the lack of straight-line speed.
“The way I felt like I was driving, if anything went wrong at any corner I would have put it in the wall. So when you do a race like this, you feel really proud.”
Bottas ultimately ended his race in the wall shortly before the chequered flag after encountering a technical problem. He described a lock-up at Turn 1, followed by what appeared to be a systems issue related to the additional distance he had covered.
“The same lap I had a lock-up into Turn 1, I went wide,” the Cadillac driver explained. “Then I think the systems got a bit confused because of the extra distance. I had a huge super clip into Turn 15, and then when I hit the brakes, only the front brakes would work, almost like I wasn’t harvesting anymore with the rears. So, something got a bit confused there.”
The result extended Bottas’ difficult run alongside Perez. He has now completed three consecutive grands prix without spending a single racing lap ahead of his Cadillac team-mate on track.
Why This Matters
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix highlights the importance of qualifying position, race pace and straight-line performance at Baku, where overtaking opportunities and safety-car restarts can quickly alter the order. Perez was able to remain connected to faster midfield cars during the first stint, but Cadillac’s lack of straight-line speed left him vulnerable after the restart.
For Bottas, the scale of the deficit and the late technical failure give Cadillac several areas to investigate before the next race. His comments indicate that the team is not treating lift-and-coast requirements as the sole explanation for the performance gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far behind Sergio Perez was Valtteri Bottas in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
By his first pit stop on lap 26, Bottas was more than 46 seconds behind Perez’s Cadillac, equivalent to an estimated loss of 1.9 seconds per lap at that stage.
What happened to Valtteri Bottas at the end of the race?
Bottas suffered a lock-up at Turn 1 and later reported that only the front brakes were working after a systems issue. His race ended in the wall shortly before the chequered flag.
What position did Sergio Perez finish in Baku?
Perez eventually finished 15th after briefly rising to 12th following the safety-car restart. He said the weekend was one of his best in Baku and that he had extracted “150%” from the Cadillac.
