Sergio Perez demands Cadillac investigation as major concern aired
The Mexican driver was left alarmed by what unfolded during the Canadian Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez has urged Cadillac to launch a formal investigation into the dramatic suspension failure that sidelined him during the Canadian Grand Prix, insisting there may be an underlying issue behind the incident. The Mexican driver’s retirement came after his front-right suspension collapsed as he was exiting the back straight and preparing to enter the pit lane on lap 39 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The moment was startling for Perez, who then limped back to his team’s garage before bringing his weekend to a premature end.
Perez reiterated that a thorough inquiry is essential to understand what caused the failure and to prevent a repeat in future races. “It’s something we need to investigate, understand, and hopefully get on top of, because it’s not ideal what happened,” he told reporters, including RacingNews365. He added that, operationally, the team is still playing catch-up and not yet maximizing the car’s potential: “We are not making progress in terms of performance, so we need to maximise the car performance at the moment.”
Despite Cadillac’s maiden season, with Montréal marking its fifth Grand Prix, Perez admitted he is growing impatient with how the operation is progressing. He emphasised that the team must improve quickly if it is to deliver the results its drivers feel the car is capable of achieving. “It’s something that we have to improve, and we are in a massive hurry, because we are not maximising the results,” he said, underscoring the sense of urgency within the squad as it copes with the demands of a new programme.
Perez also noted that the operational shortcomings extended beyond the race itself, pointing out that similar issues were evident in qualifying on the Saturday prior. While he acknowledged that the team is making progress on overall performance, he stressed that the operational side remains a significant weakness. “We are making progress on performance, which is very positive. But on the operational side, it’s something that we are lacking tremendously, and we have to really find our way for the European season now,” he commented.
During the Canadian Grand Prix, Pérez was part of a seven-driver group that started on intermediate tyres. His teammate Valtteri Bottas joined him, along with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, and Williams’ Carlos Sainz. The decision to begin on intermediates backfired for most of the field. Only Sainz managed to salvage a points finish, placing ninth.
Perez explained the decision to start on a mixed-weather option as a strategic gamble: “The laps to the grid, it felt like it was 50-50. It was really hard to choose a tyre. And then when we went into the race with so many aborts, the rain calmed down quite a bit, and it was a lot clearer for the slick tyre.” He described the early days of the race as a balancing act: the rain eased, opportunities for a slick tyre presented themselves, but the choice ultimately proved wrong. “We took the gamble. I felt like it had stopped raining a little bit less, but it became a lot clearer that we were on the wrong tyre very early on. Within three laps, we killed the inter, and that was the biggest issue there. But we managed to recover. We had some good pace out there, some good fights with the Haas. We overtook the Haas, and then unfortunately, we had the suspension failure at the end,” he recounted.
The incident has sparked further scrutiny within the team about reliability and car setup as Cadillac continues to adapt to life in F1’s highly competitive landscape. Perez’s call for a formal investigation underscores his commitment to ensuring the car’s safety and performance are addressed comprehensively, with a view to preventing a recurrence as the team targets stronger results in the European season.
As Cadillac navigates its early steps in Formula One, Perez’s remarks highlight a dual focus: extracting maximum performance from a relatively new machine while simultaneously safeguarding the car against unexpected failures that could undermine a race weekend. The driver’s emphasis on understanding the cause of the suspension collapse reflects a broader team objective to identify and mitigate any fragile points that could jeopardize their campaigns in the near future. It remains to be seen what findings Cadillac will uncover through the proposed investigation, and how quickly the team can translate those insights into tangible improvements on the track.