Pointless after 14 races, Cadillac gives Pérez a new Ferrari unit for Baku

Cadillac, still without a point after 14 races of its debut season, brings a small aerodynamic upgrade and Ferrari's latest-spec power unit to this week's Azerbaijan GP. The new unit goes only into Sergio Pérez's car, and Pérez, a two-time Baku winner, has the best record of anyone at this circuit. Team principal Marcin Budkowski said the triple-header that starts in Baku puts "significant pressure" on the team.

The 14-race report card

According to RacingNews365, the team's best result of the season is Valtteri Bottas's 13th place in China. Pérez finished 10th in Monaco but lost the point to a post-race penalty. At Monza both cars finished, Pérez 18th and Bottas 19th. In Madrid Pérez stopped with a coolant leak but said he had been "basically on the same pace as Albon all race". The same outlet noted that the MAC-26 has struggled all season as a car with too much drag and too little downforce.

What Cadillac is bringing to Baku

In the team's official preview, Budkowski said "as part of the continued development of this year's car, we have a new small aero upgrade to test in free practice", adding that Pérez will run a "new-spec Ferrari power unit". According to RacingNews365, this is the ADUO-upgraded specification Ferrari gave Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Monza. Oliver Bearman already has the same unit, while Esteban Ocon and Bottas have yet to receive it.

On the power unit gap, Budkowski said: "By regulation we get the same hardware, the same engine. But what we've seen this year is that there is a lot of performance to unlock in understanding the details of energy management, and that is what makes the performance difference." Whether the new unit translates straight into points is impossible to say, but RacingNews365's reading is that it could help lift the team's understanding of the power unit, an area where it admits it is behind.

Pérez's Baku, Bottas's Baku

Pérez has the best record in Azerbaijan GP history, with wins in 2021 and 2023, second in 2022 and third in 2018. On his last appearance in 2024 he outqualified Max Verstappen before colliding with Carlos Sainz in the fight for second. Bottas won from pole in 2019, finished second in 2017, set the fastest lap in 2018 and, also at this circuit, recorded the highest speed ever seen on an F1 race weekend: 378km/h.

"The Madrid race was going really well until we had to stop the car, and it was probably our strongest moment of the season. I want to do that again this weekend. Baku is a circuit where I've had a lot of success, and the goal is to find a rhythm from practice and deliver the result the team deserves." — Sergio Pérez

Bottas said: "You have to be very precise with the steering and throttle, and always aware that grip is low and the walls are close." The 2.2km straight is the longest flat-out section on the calendar.

Triple-header pressure

"Back-to-back flyaways in the last few months of the season put significant pressure on a racing team," Budkowski said, noting that not only trackside staff but also manufacturing and factory support personnel have to work irregular hours. As for the next race, the BVM Sports article named Malaysia, while the schedule compiled by RacingNews365 lists the Bahrain GP on 4 October and the Singapore GP on 11 October. It remains to be seen whether Baku's brought-forward timetable, with practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and the race on Saturday, becomes the stage for Cadillac's first points.

Sources

• RacingNews365 — Sergio Perez armed with fresh Cadillac weapon in Baku happy hunting ground
• RacingNews365 — Why Sergio Perez offers Cadillac a rare shot to break F1 points duck in Baku
• Cadillac F1 Team — The Cadillac Formula 1 Team goes street racing in the Land of Fire
• GrandPrix247 — Cadillac bring upgrades and new Ferrari Formula 1 power unit to Baku
• BVM Sports — Cadillac braced for 'significant pressure' of F1 triple-header