The team principal of Cadillac, Guenther Steiner, has expressed doubts about Valtteri Bottas’s motivation, claiming that the Finnish driver might have let himself go in a tough 2026 for the American team. During a recent appearance on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner offered a frank assessment of Cadillac’s current performance.
Cadillac, which has joined the Formula 1 world this year with two experienced drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez, occupies the last position in the drivers’ standings, having yet to score any points in the first 11 races of the season. However, on an individual level, Sergio Pérez has shown superior performance, with a 9-6 qualifying results advantage over Bottas.
Steiner rated Pérez’s performance with a C, praising his persistence despite the challenges posed by the car. ‘He is doing more than his teammate,’ Steiner commented about the Mexican. In contrast, he graded Bottas with a D, emphasizing that he seemed lacking in energy during the races.
The team principal added: ‘Valtteri seems to have let himself go a bit; he doesn’t have the same dedication as Pérez at this moment. If Cadillac decides to replace one of the drivers, it is likely that Bottas will be the first to go.’
Steiner concluded that, although the team needs to focus on the development of the car, Bottas’s results have not met expectations. The driver, who previously had a role as a reserve driver at Mercedes, is now struggling to avoid the bottom position, a scenario far removed from his previous experiences in the competition.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
