Valtteri Bottas endures his most difficult 2026 race in Baku, averaging 1.7s per lap slower than Cadillac teammate Sergio Perez, exposing a blend of chassis, engine and systems shortcomings.

The deficit peaks despite setup changes, and the race ends chaotically when an energy deployment fault forces Bottas down the Turn 1 escape road on the final lap.

That detour lengthens the lap, overheats the rear brakes, and triggers failure at Turn 15, pitching the car into the barriers and compounding an already miserable afternoon.

Perez nearly laps Bottas before the incident. Bottas concedes the performance looks and feels poor, noting losses on straights and in corners despite pushing to the chequered flag.

Practice reveals corner‑speed limitations relative to Perez. Qualifying tweaks to dampers and floor help, yet the race ride deteriorates, hinting at heat‑related damper fade and incomplete aero correlation.

Compounding matters, intermittent power‑steering heaviness blunts feedback through stints, making it harder to judge entry loads and manage tyre slip.

Power unit disparity also bites. Perez runs Ferrari’s ADUO 2, while Bottas uses an older spec. The upgrade proves stronger than trailed, delivering a larger‑than‑expected performance step.

Bottas rates it 50/50 he receives ADUO 2 for the Sepang race. Otherwise, Singapore becomes the first meaningful like‑for‑like comparison.

Perez plans to rest ADUO 2 in Malaysia, rotating his pool to exploit it later at a more suitable venue, a stance aligned with the demanding Malaysia weekend profile.

Sepang’s long corners and intense heat amplify Cadillac’s weaknesses, increasing tyre management exposure and punishing the car’s inability to generate stable high‑speed load.

In Baku, Perez runs overtake mode virtually throughout to stay in the fight, yet still lacks straight‑line speed after passes to consolidate position.

Cadillac expected year‑one turbulence. The programme now targets aero efficiency gains, improved correlation, and smarter engine deployment to close deficits evident since the season opener in Bahrain.

For Bottas, priorities are braking confidence, corner‑entry bite, and a cleaner systems baseline while awaiting ADUO 2 to reset the intra‑team reference.

Visual Summary

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.