MELBOURNE, Australia — Cadillac exceeded expectations on its Formula 1 debut in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix but knows the “honeymoon is over,” according to driver Sergio Pérez and team CEO Dan Towriss. After years of meticulous planning, Cadillac has officially joined the F1 grid for the 2026 season opener in Melbourne, becoming the sport’s 11th team and the first all-new addition in a decade.

Debut Challenges and Realistic Expectations

The long-anticipated race weekend marked the first time the new Cadillac team ran two cars simultaneously at Albert Park. This was a significant milestone for the American manufacturer, which only received approval to race in Formula 1 in March 2025. During pre-season testing, regulations permitted only a single car on the track, making the Australian Grand Prix the first true test of the team’s coordination and reliability.

Sergio Pérez qualified 17th and finished the race in 15th place, three laps behind race winner George Russell. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was forced to retire after just 15 laps due to engine concerns. While the results place Cadillac at the lower end of the standings, they were in line with the team’s conservative expectations.

“It really felt like a beginning, not a destination from that standpoint,” said Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports, which owns the Cadillac F1 team. “It’s OK, now we’re here racing — and now it’s about how do we move up the grid, that kind of thing.”

A Performance Gap to Close

Cadillac’s cars were the two slowest to set a time in qualifying. Pérez’s best lap was three seconds off pole position and 1.2 seconds shy of advancing to the next qualifying segment. Bottas trailed by an additional 0.7 seconds. Given that the rest of the grid consists of teams with over a decade of technical development and on-track experience, Cadillac’s initial deficit is expected.

Nonetheless, both driver and team leadership are already turning their focus to improvement. Pérez emphasized that while finishing the race was an “incredible” achievement for the new team, the real work begins now.

“From now on, obviously the honeymoon is over, and now we need to do big steps forward,” said Pérez. “We need to put a plan ASAP on the team to move along and close the gap, which I believe that we can do. But obviously, we are all very competitive inside the team, and that’s the attitude we need from now on, to be able to close the gap and aim for something big this year.”

Earning Respect and Looking Ahead

Towriss echoed Pérez’s sentiment, praising the team’s clean debut and its ability to avoid major mistakes that often plague rookie squads. He believes Cadillac has already earned a degree of respect within the paddock.

“I think the honeymoon analogy is probably right,” said Towriss. “It’s very short-lived, and now we just see where we’re at relative to the competition, and what we can do to develop the car and move up the grid.”

He also highlighted Pérez’s passion and urgency, noting that the veteran driver approached him immediately after the race to discuss development strategies.

“I love Checo’s fire, too. He catches me after the race, and it’s ‘let’s talk about this development plan’ and things that we can do with the car as we continue to improve as a team.”

Despite the challenges, the Cadillac team has received a warm welcome from fans and competitors alike. Towriss praised the enthusiastic crowds in Melbourne and the overall support for F1’s newest entrant.

“The reception has been great, the fans were fantastic. The crowds here in Melbourne were just off the charts. The fans were happy to see Cadillac, a new team, so we really feel welcomed onto the grid from that standpoint.”

But with the initial fanfare fading, the focus now shifts squarely to performance. “Again, I’ll go back to what Checo said,” Towriss concluded. “The honeymoon’s over, and so elbows are out.”