Valtteri Bottas Out Before the Start as Cadillac Hit New Low in Brazil

Cadillac still cannot find the light in its debut season in Formula 1. The American team, which has not yet scored a single point in 2026, entered a new chapter of its particular Calvary at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas couldn't even take the start because of a nut issue in his car, while Sergio Pérez, the team's only on-track representative, finished eighteenth after a slow new pit stop. A weekend to forget, leaving Cadillac as the only team on the grid that has not managed to score.

Bottas's problem was the first blow of Sunday: the Finn, who had already crashed in Mexico due to a suspension failure, saw his race end before it began.

A wheel-nut issue kept his car in the garage, and the team confirmed he could not take the start. Another setback for a 37-year-old driver who continues to wait for an opportunity to prove his talent in a competitive car.

Pérez, for his part, could run at Interlagos, but his race was marked by another slow pit stop. The Mexican, who had shown a decent pace in the first laps, lost valuable seconds when his team took time to change his tires, a problem that had already been repeated in Mexico.

Despite this, the man from Guadalajara managed to cross the finish line in eighteenth place, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Rafael Camara, the Brazilian debutant in the Haas seat.

Camaro, debuting in his home race after replacing Esteban Ocon, did not have the dream day; the Brazilian, who showed flashes of talent in the wet qualifying, finished last among drivers who have disputed at least one race this season. His debut in Formula 1, although historic, was marked by his Haas's lack of pace and the challenges of a circuit as demanding as Interlagos.

Cadillac's situation is worrying. The American team that entered Formula 1 with high ambitions and General Motors' backing has not scored a single point in its first season.

Reliability problems, slow pit stops, and the MAC26's lack of performance have weighed down a team that, for now, has known only the back of the grid. The arrival of Mike Elliott as the new technical director and the construction of the engine factory in Charlotte are the hopes of a project that aspires to change course in 2027.

Meanwhile, the 2026 season advances, and Cadillac still hasn't found its place; with only three races left, the chances to score points have shrunk, but the team hasn't lost hope. Pérez, Bottas, and the young talents who have joined the American car will keep fighting for every tenth; Formula 1 does not forgive, and Cadillac is learning that the hard way.

The future will tell whether this year's work bears fruit, but for now, the reality is stubborn: Cadillac remains the red lantern of the grid.