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Cadillac Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez believes Aston Martin's significant car update at this weekend's Hungarian GP will close the gap with his team.
Aston Martin has struggled massively with its AMR26, and with engine partner Honda also facing a steep development curve, the team decided to hold back its upgrades until it could bring enough performance to the car to lift it from the back of the grid.
That moment has now arrived in Budapest, with the AMR26 getting a facelift including a full aerodynamic overhaul and a weight reduction.
Paddock rumours vary on just how much of a laptime boost Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will get out of their new package, with some observers expecting the AMR to gain over two seconds per lap.
That type of gain will be necessary to threaten Cadillac and get off the last row of the grid. The fastest Cadillac was 1.6 seconds quicker in qualifying in Silverstone and 2.4s up in Belgium, although Honda's lack of power and deployment exaggerated that gap. In Barcelona and Spielberg, Aston Martin's deficit was just over a second, with the caveat that Cadillac has since also added performance to its MAC-26.
Speaking on Thursday, Perez was weary of the prospect of Cadillac being overtaken. "Definitely. I think they will be developing strong, they are obviously a very strong team," the Mexican said. "We are expecting that they will close the gap and they will be moving forwards."
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images
Team-mate Valtteri Bottas wasn't sure what to believe, and said he was both curious and scared about what Cadillac's 2026 rival is able to bring to the table this weekend.
"There's lots of rumours. Most are saying it's a big step for them. But again, we'll see as the car hits the track," he said. "One rumour I heard, the only thing that is the same as the current car is the front suspension. Everything else is new. So let's see.
"I'm quite curious about that, but at the same time a little bit scared in a way that if they make a big step, then we're at the back. But in the end, we just need to focus on our job. We shouldn't waste our energy on that."
"Significant aerodynamic upgrade and a weight reduction"Aston Martin's trackside engineering chief Mike Krack played down rumours the team had gone as far as Bottas suggested, but his squad is bringing a new, lighter chassis to complement the gains from its new aerodynamic parts.
"The upgrade is a significant aerodynamic upgrade and a weight reduction," Krack said, while also playing down expectations of Aston's B-spec unlocking an overnight performance boost.
"When you bring substantial upgrades, it's something that the track team will have to learn as quickly as possible.
"It puts a lot of emphasis on the quality of your data, on the quality of understanding your simulations. But we do not expect that we will get everything out of it in the first run tomorrow. I think we need to learn how to manage this and how to get the best out of it. It will take a bit of time."
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