Valtteri Bottas believes Cadillac already has better facilities than Mercedes, even though the American team has yet to score a point in their first Formula 1 season.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Bottas was asked whether his team's facilities at their new Silverstone factory were better than those of the world champions. He replied: "I would say so."
A bold statement from a driver who knows the Mercedes operation well, Bottas secured all 10 of his Grand Prix victories with the Silver Arrows, whose own Brackley factory is a short distance from Cadillac's Silverstone base.
Bottas' Cadillac teammate Sergio Perez also heaped praise on the UK factory - with other facilities to be built in the US - after a visit prior the Spanish GP weekend. "It’s very impressive. I’ve never seen a factory like this in my career. It’s really, really impressive," the former Red Bull driver said.
While Mercedes currently lead both championships, with the possibility of Kimi Antonelli securing the Drivers' title at the next race in Austin, Cadillac are still chasing their first top-ten finish ahead of their second home race of the season.
Bottas sees progress that the results do not show yet
Photo: Race Pictures
For 37-year-old Bottas, a tricky debut campaign with the American team was inevitable. "I knew it was going to be a difficult year," he told FT. "It was going to involve quite a bit of problem solving, making progress and trying to get up and running in every area.”
Despite the disappointing reading in the standings, Bottas insisted that the newcomers are moving forward, adding: "We are definitely seeing an improvement somewhere every weekend. It's not necessarily in the results yet, but it's in how we operate as a team in different areas."
Addressing his greatest frustration this year, however, Bottas explained the difficulties Cadillac have had in terms of reliability, with the Finn suffering DNFs at eight of the 17 rounds so far this season.
“Once you have issues, whether it’s in practice or qualifying, that’s when you can’t improve,” he said. “You’re just trying to fix the issues instead of focusing on performance and making the car faster.”
Leclerc takes swipe at Cadillac's Perez
Elsewhere, Ferrari driver aimed a sarcastic dig at Bottas' teammate Perez after the Cadillac driver delayed his pursuit of Verstappen during the closing stages of the Singapore GP.
Radio exchanges reveal how Perez was warned about the approaching Ferrari before eventually allowing Leclerc through on Lap 57. The delay prompted Leclerc to reference Perez’s four seasons alongside Verstappen at Red Bull, asking: “Is Perez still driving for Red Bull?”