2026 BARCELONA-CATALUNYA GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE REPORT
June 12, 2026 – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain – The Cadillac Formula 1® Team completed a constructive first day of running at the Spanish Grand Prix, with Colton Herta making his Formula One Free Practice debut as preparations got underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Colton successfully completed the team’s program during the opening session, providing valuable feedback and data before handing the car back to Checo Pérez for FP2. Across the day, Colton, Checo and Valtteri completed a combined 90 laps as the team focused on setup evaluation and performance optimization, despite an ECU issue that curtailed Valtteri’s running during the second practice session.
With a wealth of data collected and several setup directions identified, Cadillac heads into Saturday focused on unlocking further performance around one of Formula One’s most demanding circuits.
The drivers will be back in the cockpit of the MAC-26 for Free Practice 3 at 12:30 p.m. local time tomorrow, followed by Qualifying at 4 p.m.
Checo Pérez:
FP2: 20th, Laps: 34 (1:19:261)
“This morning we had Colton for FP1 who did a good job for us. He got good information for the team for the rest of the weekend. When I jumped in the car, I wasn’t too comfortable with the balance and on a track where it is a single lap time, it wasn’t ideal. We’ve got some work to do tomorrow to close the gap. We’re changing quite a bit on the car so hopefully we can transform it into a much more competitive window for tomorrow."
Valtteri Bottas:
FP1: 18th, Laps: 23 (1:18:914), FP2: 18th, Laps: 6 (1:18:225)
“It’s definitely the happiest I’ve felt with the car all season. The car feels more predictable and it seems like everything is much more together with the setup. We’re hitting targets, and I can see it in the lap time. In FP2, I only had a few laps as we had some issues with the ECU. We had to do some reprogramming, and we just couldn’t make it out for the long run in the end. We’ve still got to figure out what went wrong there, but otherwise a positive day."
Colton Herta:
FP1: 21st, Laps: 27 (1:20.697)
“A lot of firsts for me. Not a long time to get up to speed but it was very enjoyable. The car was very impressive to drive, and I felt confident after a few laps so overall, I think it was super positive. It’s my first time wearing the Cadillac overalls and being fully integrated with the team in a driver role. Starting from the ground up, I think where the team is now compared to where they started is remarkable and it’s only going to get better. We got through our run plan successfully today so I’m looking forward to the next one, and getting quicker and quicker every time. A massive thank you to the team for giving me this opportunity."
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal:
“It was great to have Colton in the car today as part of our program. We’re only seven events into the season now, we’re getting more mature as a team, and we can cope with the changes to having a new driver in the car. Colton did a very good job for us today, he got through his run plan helping the team gain valuable data, and he knows what to expect from future FP1s. We had a couple of issues with the car on Valtteri’s side during FP2 that we’ll look to resolve ahead tomorrow. However, he felt more comfortable with the laps he managed to complete. We’re happy with the progress made across the two sessions and we’ll keep pushing as team as we build towards Qualifying.”