Valtteri Bottas was again hindered by Cadillac’s well-documented brake issues in Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix, although the veteran has described the problem as “almost solved”.
Brake overheating has been an issue throughout the season on the MAC-26, causing four retirements on top of the occasional loss of performance due to the required management.
F1’s new team brought upgrades to Hungary and Azerbaijan in order to fix the problem, with the latter decreasing brake temperature by 100C as per Bottas. However, it wasn’t enough for a trouble-free race in Singapore, where management again played a key role.
“I had to start increasing lift-and-coast on lap two,” Bottas revealed. “Eventually things stabilized and I didn't need to do any lift-and-coast for a while, then it came back.”
However, when asked if this race had been a test for the brake upgrades, the Cadillac driver nuanced his stance: “We finished with both cars. It required management, but I would imagine most teams will need to do some kind of management here.
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
“I think the problem is almost solved. We should be good for the rest of the year, and obviously next year's design should be quite a bit different.”
The lift-and-coast doesn’t justify Bottas’ dismal pace at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, with the Finn very nearly lapped by team-mate Sergio Perez – his deficit was 96 seconds under the chequered flag, equating to a 1.6s loss per lap on average.
Bottas was at a loss to explain it. “No pace at all in the first stint, like, talking about a second a lap,” he lamented. “Pretty much the same story all through the race.
“I was getting all the feedback from the team, like where I could potentially try and gain lap time. I was trying everything I could. If I'm lacking pace on the entry or mid-corner then I can do that, but then I lose in the exit or some other phase of the corner.
“So, yeah, a bit of an odd one. The only thing I can say is the ride was really poor today, like a step change from something. So, we'll have a look.”
Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
And Bottas is not feeling much more optimistic for next week’s United States Grand Prix. “We know it's going to be another difficult one, but hopefully better than here,” he said. “It somehow feels like we underperformed here a bit, like, we were way off the pace in the race.”
Sergio Perez might actually disagree with that statement, even after finishing 48 seconds adrift of Fernando Alonso in Singapore.
“We were very strong with the pace that we had today,” the Mexican said. “We were very solid out there. Operationally, it's the only thing that matters at the moment, and the team has done a really good job. We can be pleased with that.
“We are just lacking a second, a second and a half, to be in the mix. We had for the entire first stint the Astons behind. We are just lacking that second in the car, and then we can start to mix with the others.”
Cadillac has another six grands prix to potentially score its first top-10 finish, and therefore not end its maiden F1 season point-less.
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